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THE LANDING. 



THE 



AMERICAN SALMON FISHERMAN 



By henry p. wells 

AUTHOR OF "fly-rods AND FLY-TACKLE " 



/ 2^ ILLUSTRATED 




NEW YORK 
HARPEPi cfc BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE 

1886 



.W4-4 



Copyright, 1886, by Harper & Brothers. 
All rights reserved. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Salmost-fishing is to trovtt-fishing as is a father to his 
son. Though the stature and avoirdupois of the one may 
exceed that of the other, the relationship is notwithstand- 
ing none the less near. Apart from the immaterial dif- 
ference of size, the appliances for salmon-fishing, the gaff 
excejDted, are the appliances for trout-fishing. Alike as 
they are in material, alike in method of manufacture, 
and alike in that their adaptability to the end in view 
depends on the more or less perfect embodiment of the 
same principles of construction, it has been thought un- 
necessary to touch upon this branch of our subject in 
other than the briefest possible manner. As the lawyer 
refers in his bill of complaint to his documentary exhibits, 
and by that reference incorporates them in and makes 
them part of his plea, so I refer to my former volume, 
" Fly-Rods and Fly-Tackle," and make it part of this. 
The origin and quality of the crude materials, the meth- 
ods by which they are converted into the finished article, 
the principles which should govern that conversion, and 
the comparative degree of excellence which each material 
and method affords, are therein considered at length. To 
review^ would be but to repeat. 



ii Introduction. 

As in that book, so in this it is to the novice that I 
especially address myself. Though it is hoped that the 
expert may find in the following pages matter not un- 
worthy of his consideration, still it is those that seek, 
rather than those who have already found, whom 1 aspire 
to direct. 

For the labor expended on this volume, I desire no 
more grateful reward than the same kindly reception 
which has been the good-fortune of its predecessor, 

Henet P, Wells. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEE I. 



How and where Salmon-fishing may be Obtained — List and Map of 
Salmon-rivers Page 5 

CHAPTER II. 

Rods : Theoretical Efficiency of— Single-handed for Salmon-fishing 
— Selection of — Spliced vs. Ferruled — Ferrules for Salmon — 
English vs. American Salmon — Guides and Rings for — Rod- 
making 25 

CHAPTER III. 

Salmon- REELS : Essential Features of — Capacity of — Object, Im- 
portance, Construction, and Resistance of Click — Drags — Weight 
of Salmon-reels. Lines : Length and Cost of Salmon-lines — 
Spliced Lines— How to Splice a Line — Heavy Line advisable — 
New Style of Line. Leaders : Selection of Gut — Testing Gut 
and Leaders — Twisted and Braided — Length of — Construction 
of — Best Color for . 45 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Gaep : The "Veteran Gaff," when and how it was Obtained, 
its Description and Portrait— Rules for Selection or Manufacture 
of Gaff — Gaffing from a Canoe — Birch Canoes for Salmon-fish- 



iv Contents. 

ing — Gaffing from Bank. Clothing : Clothing for Daily Use 
— Hat — Water-proof Clothing — Waders. Black Flies and In- 
sect Pests on 'Salnion-streams, and Defensive Measures against 
them , Page 65 

CHAPTER V. 

Flies : Experiments to Determine how they appear to Salmon — 
Visibility of Various Tyjoes of Flies, and Varieties of Fly-tying 
Material — How Objects in the Water appear to Fish — Rules for 
Selection of Flies on the Stream — Effect of Motion of Rod on 
Appearance of Fly — Directions for Selection of Stock of Flies at 
Home. Hooks : Rules for Selection of — The Same applied to 
Various Patterns of — Pennell-hooks — Eyed-hooks .... 89 

CHAPTER VI. 

Casting the Fly : Casting for Trout and Salmon Compared and 
Distinguished — How to Cast with a Salmon-rod — The Over- 
head Cast — The Switch Cast. Catching the Fish : Visibility 
of Objects above the Water to Fish — Timidity of Trout and Salm- 
on Compared — Why Salmon take the Fly — Where to Cast — 
Haunts of Salmon — Salmon-pools — Fishing from Bank — Manip- 
ulation of Fly — Effect of Current on Action of Fly — Fishing 
from Canoe — Manipulation of Fly — Striking — Method of Strik- 
ing Trout and Salmon Radically Different — Advantages of a 
Good Rod — Manner in which Trout and Salmon take the Fly 
Compared — Keep your Hands off the Line when the Fly is on 
the Water — Rising Short — Playing a Salmon — Conduct of Salm- 
on when Fastened — How to Fish for Salmon, a Recapitulation 
in Narrative Form 115 



THE 
AMERICAN SALMON-FISHERMAN. 



CHAPTER I. 
HOW AND WHERE SALMON-FISHING MAY BE OBTAINED. 

That where there was one fly-fisherman in the United 
States ten years ago there are ten now, is a general and 
perhaps nn exaggerated belief. He who is interested in 
and familiar with an art almost necessarily looks above 
and beyond the level he may have attained, and aspires 
to the highest development in it of which he may have 
knowledge. Especially is this so in regard to fly-fishing. 
Its practice is begun with indifference — oftentimes out 
of mere good-fellowship, and to calm the missionary zeal 
of some pei'sistent friend. But it is followed with an en- 
joyment which, should opportunity serve, speedily ripens 
into enthusiasm, and he who was but recently a less than 
lukewarm acolyte is now a zealot. Such was the experi- 
ence of the writer, and such has been the experience of 
many of his friends. Expose the proper temperament to 
the contagion and the disease surely follows, and the 
mental constitution undergoes a permanent and indelible 
modification as the result. Recreation must thereafter be 
sought rod in hand, and face to face with nature. 

May this disease, — if disease it may be called, — every 



6 The American ISahnon-fislierman. 

moment of which, is fraught with health and happiness, 
become epidemic among my countrymen ! 

We may safely, assume then, that every fly-fisherman 
hopes and aspires some day to try his skill against the 
salmon, since all admit that to be the crowning delight 
of angling, and its highest development. 

But two formidable obstacles confront the American 
angler at the outset of his career as a salmon-fisherman. 
As dollars do not grow on every bush, so salmon are not 
to be found in every river. He neither knows where nor 
how to obtain the oj^portunity; or, having secured that, 
he does not know what to do with the opportunity when 
it is had. 

Discourage'd by these considerations, many view sal- 
mon-fishing in about the same light as hippotamus-hunt- 
ing on the head-waters of the Congo — as something in 
which they would dearly love to take part, but which is 
so distant and unattainable as to lie beyond reasonable 
hope. 

It is the purpose of this book to remove these obstacles 
from the path of the many who need information, rather 
than to advise or instruct the fortunate few who already 
have the lamp of experience to guide their steps. 

The opportunity for salmon-fishing is a mere question 
of leisure time and dollars and cents. I am well aware 
of that law of civilized nature which ordains that if you 
have the money you shall not have the time, and that if 
you have the time you shall not have the money. But 
there are many excef)tions to this rule, and is it not to 
force our way into this charmed circle that we rise and 
renew the bitter struggle of life each morning, and the 
" daily contact with the things we loathe" ? Nor is 



How and Where Salmnon-fisldng may he Ohtained. 7 

salmon-fishing so expensive as to be beyond the means of 
any man of moderate income, provided he is not over- 
burdened with dependants — especially if he will keep a 
passably watchful eye on his pleasure-expense account 
during the remainder of the year. 

While upon the subject, it is as well at once to dispose 
of the question of expense. It may be considered as 
composed of four elements; i.e., travelling expenses, cost 
of fishing-right, guide and boat hire, and living expenses. 

The first — travelling expenses — is of course a variable 
quantity, dependent on distance and other conditions; 
and while its amount cannot be computed till both the 
point of departure and destination are known, after that 
it is readily ascertainable. 

The cost of the fishing-privilege also varies with cir- 
cumstances, and from a dollar a day up to twenty-five 
dollars a week for each rod. The latter should command 
a position on a really first-class river, where fish are not 
only abundant, but also large. A higher demand than 
this is generally considered extortionate, unless coupled 
with very unusual advantages outside of the mere fishing- 
right. These, too, are the prices asked for " casual " rods 
— those who come, remain but a few days, and depart. 
The angler who wishes the water for two or three weeks 
or a month can usually obtain better terms, since he is a 
more desirable customer — especially if he is one of a 
party sufficient in number to occupy the entire fishing in 
negotiation. Then the offer of a lump sum for the exclu- 
sive use of the water during a fixed period will generally 
secure it, so that the proportion to be contributed by each 
rod will fall considerably below the rate for " casuals." 

The hire of men and canoes dejDends on the inaccessi- 



8 The' American Salmon- fisher man. 

bility of the river — in short, on demand and supply. It 
ought not anywhere to exceed two dollars and a half a 
day if the angler feeds the men, and three dollars if they 
feed themselves. Each angler will usually require a 
canoe and two men to himself, the entire expense of 
which is included in the preceding estimate. Since the 
Great Eastern has ceased to plough the wave, many think 
there is no vessel now afloat large enough to give room 
for unembarrassed action to two fly-fishermen when 
actually on the war-path. But however this may be in 
trout-fishing, where salmon are in question a free field is 
absolutely indispensable. I was about to say "a free 
field and no favor" — giving the quotation in full which 
suggested the phrase. But in so doing I should mislead. 
The salmon-fisher who would also be a salmon-catcher 
not only needs favor, but all the favors that a kind Prov- 
idence will bestOAV. Even then victory will all too often 
plunge beneath the rushing water in the wake of the 
salmon's tail instead of perching upon the rod, though 
its owner woo her with every resource of his art. If 
the fishing is from the bank, one attendant is enough; 
but if from canoe, the angler will absolutely require a 
boat to himself and two men to handle it. 

The amount to be allowed for living expenses will de- 
pend on whether the angler camps, or boards at some 
convenient hotel or farm-house. The quantity and qual- 
ity of his drink and smoke will be a not unimportant fac- 
tor as well. But leaving this element for each to meas- 
ure for himself, the cost of living in any hotel in the 
fishing-country will not exceed two dollars a day. At a 
farm-house, or in camp, it should be less. 

When Lord Ashburton worsted us in the determination 



HoiD and Where Salmon fishing may he Ohtained. 9 

of our northern Iboundary and pushed the line so far 
south of the St. Lawrence, he left us few salmon-rivers on 
our Atlantic seaboard. What is done, is done, and it is 
too late to remedy that now; hut whenever we look at 
the map it is difficult to repress a sigh of regret that our 
commissioners were not salmon-fishermen. 

In the last century salmon swarmed in every river on 
our coast, at least as far south as the Connecticut. They 
have disappeared. It would be well were it thoroughly 
and widely understood that a river once thus depleted 
remains forever barren, unless man intervenes and re- 
stocks it by patient, protracted, and persevering effort. 
Nature has implanted within the salmon an impulse to 
breed in the river where it was itself bred, and in no 
other. When an artificial barrier closes the ascent of a 
stream they still return until they die. But their spawn, 
necessarily cast in localities unsuited to its development, 
perish. No other generation succeeds that in existence 
when the obstacle was created, and the river once swarm- 
ing with fish speedily becomes barren. And so it will 
remain, even though the original conditions be restored, 
until a new race is introduced by man. 

Since salmon obtain their growth in the sea and lose 
rather than gain in fresh water, it would seem as if all 
rivers ought to furnish fish of approximately the same 
size. Such is not the fact. In some rivei's, excluding 
extremes as it seems to me should always be done in such 
cases, the fish will run about ten or twelve j)Ounds in 
weight, and a fish of eighteen pounds will be a rare prize. 
In other rivers no larger, and in the immediate neighbor- 
hood of the others, the fish may average twenty pounds 
and over, and fish of forty pounds be as common as fish 



10 The A'merican Salmon-fisherman, 

of eighteen pounds in the rivers first alluded to. This 
difference is not a casual affair of a single season, but a 
permanent characteristic of each river. A satisfactory 
reason for this which will not conflict with what are sup- 
posed to be settled facts, I have yet to hear. Is it be- 
cause the various clans of fish which converge to their na- 
tive rivers when leaving the sea, diverge on their depar- 
ture to distinct and distant parts of the ocean where the 
conditions favorable to growth vary ? This seems diffi- 
cult to reconcile with the theoi'y that they linger through- 
out their ocean-life near the mouth of their native rivers. 
Or is it possible that the universally accepted belief that 
salmon always return to the river of their youtli needs 
further investigation; and that they really so return only 
until they have attained a certain size, and then go else- 
where ? 

I can suggest the question, but not its solution. 

The Penobscot, St, Croix, and Dennys River, all in 
Maine, afford some fly-fishing for salmon. Over fifty sal- 
mon were thus taken at Calais, Milltown, and Barings, on 
the St, Croix, last year. Mr. E, M, Stillwell, one of the 
Maine Fish Commissioners, writes me: "A charming 
summer trip could be made by canoe from Vanceborough, 
on the European Railroad, down the St. Croix to Barings, 
Milltown, and Calais. We think good fishing [salmon] 
could be had on the route." 

Dennys River is a fine natural stream, but much ob- 
structed with nets, drift trash from saw-mills, and other 
abominations. It is worth bearing in mind, since these 
abuses will doubtless soon be brought to an end. Then 
this river will be well worthy the attention of the angler. 



How and Where Salmon-JisJiing may he Obtained, ii 

The Penobscot, if thorouglily exploited, would, we have 
no doubt, rank well as a salmon-river. This stream is a 
whole sermon by itself on the value of restocking ex- 
hausted rivers. It was practically depleted, while now it 
is quite productive. When a river has been frequented 
by anglers for many consecutive years, experience has 
taught where salmon may be expected to lie at each part 
of the fishing season, and at every stage of the water. In 
this respect the Penobscot is under a decided disadvan- 
tage. It is but very recently that salmon have begun to 
run there in any number, and the salmon-pools of the 
river above the dam at Bangor are yet to be located, 
Mr. Stillwell recommends trial at Medway, seventy-five 
miles above tide-water^ at the junction of the east and west 
branches of the river; also the Ouissaticook, a very cold 
stream, rising at Mount Katabdin and discharging into the 
Ea,st Branch — especially where Springs Brook enters on 
the left side of the stream, about two or three miles below 
Grand Falls. Medway is twelve miles by stage from 
Mettawomkeg, on the European Railroad, and the Ouissa- 
ticook can be reached from there by canoe. He says, "I 
have no doubt salmon could now be taken in all these 
places, and good pools be discovered." 

The fishing in the pool below the dam at Bangor was 
very fair in 1885; and though we hear it was compara- 
tively little fished, and then principally by the inexperi- 
enced, still the catch was quite respectable in point of 
numbers, though the fish ran small, seldom exceeding ten 
pounds in weight. It must, however, be borne in mind 
that this was the first year of direct result, as far as the 
angler is concerned, from restocking a practically ex- 
hausted river, and that the salmon of succeeding years 



13 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

may reasonably be expected to show an increase in size as 
well as in number. This fishing, though in water affected 
by the tide, was with the fly, and was most successful in 
the afternoon and on an ebb-tide. The water is fresh,. 

Let us now assume that a gentleman bearing the time- 
honored name of John Doe and three companions — four 
rods in all, which is large enough for a party — are in 
quest of salmon-fishing, and let us profit by their exam- 
ple. 

Had our friend Mr. John Doe decided to try one of 
these Maine rivers, he would have written to Mr. Still- 
well, at Bangor, as to whom he should engage as attend- 
ants, and for such other and further information as he 
might require. And we have no doubt, since Mr. Still- 
well is not only a thorough angler but an enthusiast in 
matters pertaining to his office, that he would have 
replied to Mr. Doe's request in that spirit of fellow- 
feeling which always characterizes the true angler toward 
his brothers in the art. And had Mr. Doe gone, he 
would have remembered that the fishing-right cost him 
nothing, that he was reaping a harvest he had not sown, 
nor had he borne any j)art in the great labor and expense 
of which it was the fruit. lie would also remember that 
though the importance of restocking our depleted waters 
with fish is daily growing in jDublic appreciation, still the 
time has not yet come when the needs of the work do not 
tax its available resources to the elastic limit. Ho would 
therefore have thought it graceful, to say the least, to 
make some pecuniary contribution to further the work on 
that river in the future. 

But sport rather than economy is Mr. Doe's object, and 
tradition and his own inclination direct him to Canada. 



How and Where Salmon-fishing may he Ohtained. 13 

Pie therefore writes to some advertising agency in his 
own or some neighboring city, asking which of the news- 
papers of Montreal, Quebec, or St. John, N. B., circulates 
most largely among the class likely to own or lease sal- 
mon-fishings, and what will be charged to insert the fol- 
lowing advertisement therein: 

" Wanted, Salmon-Fishing. Address, with particulars, 
John Doe, P. O. Box X. Y. Z., New York City." 

It by no means follows because a man ov/ns a piece of 
property that therefore he must monopolize its use. Sal- 
mon-fishings are no exceptions to this rule. The owner 
may occuj^y it but a portion of the season, or ill-health 
or other causes may prevent him from using it at all. 
Under such circumstances he may gladly avail himself of 
the opportunity of deriving an income from his water 
by turning it over to some other person for the time 
being. 

This advertisement will bring an abundance of answers 
— answers showing a lofty contempt for particulars, but 
abounding in glittering generalities, as answers of this 
description are prone to do. Mr. Doe therefore selects 
those which appear most pi'omising, and writes to each as 
follows, making such omissions, modifications, and ad- 
ditions as the information already at hand may require or 
suggest. 

Your answer to my advei'tisement in the 

has been received. Will you kindly 

furnish this further information in reference to your fish- 
ing? — 

1st. Is the fishing from canoe, or from bank ? 

2d. Is wading advisable or necessary ? 



14 The Ainerican Salmon-fislierinan. 

3cl. Is the water in its normal condition clear or col- 
ored ? 

4th. What is about the average width of the stream at 
your fishing ? 

5th. Do you give the right to the entire stream, or hut 
to one side? 

6th. How may your fishing he best reached from Mont- 
real (or Quebec, or St. John, N". B., as the case may 
require)? 

7th. Are black-flies, gnats, and mosquitoes an annoyance 
during (state time of projDosed fishing), and to what ex- 
tent? 

8th. What are the living accommodations — camp, farm- 
house, hotel, or tent ? If at farm-house, or hotel, what is 
the usual daily charge ? 

9th. How many attendants will each rod require ? 

10th. Where can they be obtained? 

11th. What wages will they require ? 

12th. Can you place me in communication with good 
men familiar with your water ? 

13th. Must we take our own supplies, or any portion of 
them, except drink and smoke, with us ? 

14th. If we must take any portion of our supplies with 
us, where would you advise us to procure them? 

15th. What flies, and of what size, would you recom- 
mend us to be provided with for the time we propose tQ 
fish? 

16th. Give weight of the largest fish usually taken with 
the fly on your water ? 

17th. Under fairly favorable conditions, what should be 
the average catch a week for an industrious and tolerably 
skilled rod in that portion of the season daring which we 
desire to fish ? 



How and Where Salmon-fishing may he Obtained. 15 

18tli. How many rods will your fishing accommodate 
without one incommoding the others ? 

19th. Can and will you name any one in this vicinity 
who has fished your water ? 

Now, human nature is weak, and one of its weaknesses 
is to say as little as possible about the defects, and to 
dilate freely on the merits of any property in negotiation. 
Mr, Doe knows how easy it is to overlook what one does 
not wish to see. He therefore forestalls as far as possible 
such inadvertence by numbering each question, and mak- 
ing it a paragraph by itself. 

To this point the inquirer can with prudence follow in 
Mr. Doe's footsteps. But beyond this, each case will 
have its own individuality, and his own judgment and 
common-sense must be hjis guide. 

One particular will certainly appear in the answer to 
the advertisement — the price of the fishing. In regard to 
this, what has been said of " casual " rods should be borne 
in mind. A party for a definite time, particularly if suffi- 
cient in number to fill the fishing, is more desirable than 
a single individual for an indefinite time. A lump sum 
in such case may be offered for the exclusive use of the 
fishing for a fixed period, but not until either by some 
statement in the answer to the advertisement, or by a 
direct response to the eighteenth question above, the 
capacity of the fishing has been first ascertained. 

Though, as a usual thing, the dealing will be with a 
brother angler, and- fair and courteous treatment will be 
the I'ule, still there are black sheep in every community. 
An effort may be made by some such rascal to palm off 
worthless water upon the unsusj^ecting. If, therefore, no 



16 The AmeviGan Salmon- fisherman. 

reference is made by the owner to a disinterested party, 
or if the would-be lessee has but the correspondence of 
the lessor to depend on for the quantity and quality of 
the fishing, the name of the Inspector of Fisheries of the 
Province should be obtained fi'om some of the many 
American papers giving attention to angling. The truth 
of the lessor's allegations can then be verified by reference 
to him, or to such sources of information as he may in- 
dicate. 

Whether the advertisement is published in Montreal, 
Quebec, or St. John, IST. B., is immaterial. Either will 
probably sufiiciently answer the purpose. But, of course, 
the wider the diffusion of the advertisement, the more 
numerous will be the answers, and the more extended the 
range of choice. Perhaps, all things considered, it will 
be best to advertise in St. John^ N. B,, and one of the 
other cities named, since then the greater part of the 
available field will be covered. 

In dismissing this branch of our subject it may be well 
to state that if the visiting angler is worthy of courteous 
treatment, he may rely on receiving it in Canada. The 
hog may occasionally be encountered on every soil and in 
every climate. But English, Scotch, Irish, Canadian, and 
American anglers are all pretty much alike in hearty 
good-fellowship toward their brethren in the gentle art, 
and in the kindness and consideration which they almost 
invariably extend to him who, through misfortune or 
ignorance, stands in need of their aid. 

A word or tAvo of exj)lariation may not be amiss. 
The word "American" will be iised throughout this 
book to indicate the peojile of the United States. While 



How and Where Salmon-fishing may he Obtained. 17 

in point of fact lie who is born anywhere between the 
Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, and between Lady Frank- 
lin Bay and Cape Horn, is really an American, I see 
that Europeans, by common consent, apply this name dis- 
tinctively to our own countrymen,' and I find that our 
Canadian neighbors in practice acquiesce therein. It is a 
name too agreeable to the sentiments with which we re- 
gard our country to be either rejected or ignored — at least 
by me, 
. If the reader, whom I assume to be a good angler, 
should meet one equipped for fly-fishing, should salute him 
with the customary " What luck ?" should receive the an- 
swer that quite a number had been caught, and should 
then find the basket filled with nothing but suckers, he 
might not say much, but he would do some pretty lively 
thinking not altogether flattering to him of the suckers. 

So on a salmon-stream. Though the angler equipped 
with a salmon-rod be up to his knees in trout, not one of 
less than five pounds, notwithstanding, unless salmon 
have rewarded his efforts, he must reply to the usual 
greeting "What luck?" — "None." Trout are regarded 
as vermin in a salmon-river — as a source of annoyance, 
and not of sport. 

On a salmon-stream, and in this book, the word " fish" 
means " salmon." All others are alluded to only by their 
distinctive names. 
3 



18 The American Salmon-fisherman. 



LIST OF THE SALMON-RIVERS OF CANADA. 

It all the salmon-rivers of Canada from the Straits of 
Belle Isle to the Jacques Cartier above Quebec, including 
IsTew Brunswick, are not included in the following list, it 
is certainly through no lack of conscientious effort to that 
end on my part. Its preparation was begun some time 
before a word of this book was written. It is now finished 
after every other part is in the hands of the printer. 
Every available source of information has been exhausted 
in the endeavor to include all rivers which produce salmon, 
and to exclude all that do not ; also to intimate, as far as 
possible, the condition of each river at the beginning of 
the season of 1886. Besides remarks, a system of nota- 
tion has been employed. Three asterisks indicate a river 
of the first merit, a lesser number those of inferior grade, 
while the absence of any mark of the kind is intended to 
convey the meaning that the stream is of little worth. 
The rivers of Nova Scotia, those flowing into the Bay of 
Fundy from New Brunswick, and the tributaries of the 
St. John, are not included in this system of notation, my 
information not being sufficient to justify me in so doing. 

Undoubtedly the efforts of the Dominion Government 
to restock those streams which have become depleted, and 
to increase the supply of those which are now productive, 
will eventually in some measure produce the desired 
effect. Those who wish well to Canada would, hoAvever, 
feel much more sanguine of this result, if the mouths of 
at least many of its salmon-rivers were less cruelly netted. 
Indeed, the casual observer would think any escaj^e im- 
possible from the labyrinths of nets, which, for miles below 



List of the Salmon-rivers of Canada. 19 

the head of the tide and in close proximity to one another, 
bar the ascent of the salmon to their spawning-grounds. 
It is true that the law directs that the nets be raised from 
Saturday evening till Monday morning. How well this 
law is observed I will not say, but of the many fish I saw 
which had been taken with the fly on the Restigouche 
River during June and July, 1885, hardly more than one 
in ten was free from wounds unmistakably due to the 
meshes of the nets. Since the efforts of the Government 
to restock and increase the supply of salmon are paid for 
from the taxes of the people at large, it would seem to an 
outsider that they had some claim to consideration, and 
that the wish — a general wish, as it appeared to me — that 
the product of this expenditure should be mai'keted in the 
dearest rather than in the very cheapest market, and so 
as to benefit the many rather than the few, was not un- 
reasonable. It would certainly seem that if the netters 
were compelled to raise their nets for another twenty-four 
hours during the middle of the week, they would even 
then have more than the lion's share of the fishing. The 
netters receive from six to ten cents a pound for the fish 
at the freezer. The average cost to the angler in money 
disbursed within the Dominion for every pound he hopes 
to take — to say nothing of what he really does kill — far 
exceeds this. The large annual income in ready cash re- 
ceived by the people of the State of Maine from visiting 
sportsmen, furnishes solid food for thought in this con- 
nection. 

Should any reader find the following list of value, he 
should join me in thanking Mr. J. W. Skelton, of Mont- 
real (without whose patient and persistent cooperation 



30 The American Sahnon-Jisherman. 

its preparation must have been abandoned in despair), and 
the Fisheries Branch of the Department of Crown Lands 
of Canada. 

Rivers discharging on the nortJi shore of the St. Laiurence 
River and Gulf, beginning at tlie Straits of Belle Isle, 
and ending at the Saguenay River. 

**JEJsquimaux.—YeYy good salmon rivcv, formerly yielding 52,500 
lbs. salmon in the season. 

^''^ CarkeouitcJiipe. — Neighboring stream ; steady run of large sal- 
mon. 

*^St. Augustine. — Well supplied with salmon. 

^*8Jieep Bay. — Good sized river; good salmon-fishing. 

**Little Meecatina. — Discharges large body of water by several 
channels ; fine salmon-river. 

**Neiagamiou. — Large deep stream ; high falls two miles from 
mouth ; s'\varms with salmon and trout ; fishing only to the falls. 

*^Napetelee])t. — Empties into spacious bay ; abounds with salmon. 

^^Etamamiou. — Celebrated for its salmon fly-fishing. 

''^Goacocwlio. — Discharges into fine basin ; good salmon river. 

'^Olomonasheebou. — Large shoal river ; salmon abundant, as well 
as fine white trout. 

^'^Waslieeaootai. — Grand salmon fly-fishing at falls. 

^^Ifusquarro. — Rapid river ; good fly-fishing. 

**Kegasti,tca. —Q'dlmon plenty ; good fly-fishing to great falls. 

**'-^ Great JVatasquan.. — One of the best rivers in the Dominion; 
great run of veiy fine large salmon ; very rapid stream. 

Agwanus. — Fishing for nets only. 

Nabesipi. — Large river, nets only. 

PashasMboo. — Net-fishing only. 

Little WaistiesJio. — Small river, much run down. 

"* Great Watslieslio. — Very fine fly -fishing ; large salmon. 

^Corneille. — Good fly-fishing for salmon and trout. 

^^Eomaine. — Excellent fly-fishing for salmon and white-trout ; 
pools full of salmon ; average, 12 to 15 lbs. 

**Mingan. — Pools hold heavj' run of large salmon from 15 to 40 
lbs. ; fishing for four rods. 



List of the Salmon-rivers of Canada. 31 

**J[fffl?iftow.— Tributary of Mingan ; equally good. 

**/S'i{. John. —Large deep river ; pools begin 25 miles from mouth. ; 
very fine salmon-tishing. 

'■^Magpie. — Small river ; salmon-fishing for one rod. 

Supitagan. — Small stream ; chiefly net-fishing. 

*Trout Bimr. — Fishing for one rod. 

'■^^^'Mbisie. — A noble river; large salmon, 15 to 50 lbs.; splendid 
fly-fishing for a number of rods. 

*8te. Marguerite- en-ias. — Excellent salmon-stream; difficult en- 
trance ; both salmon and trout. 

Pentecost. — Much run down ; not reliable. 

Calumet. — Much run down. 

'^Trinity. — Good little river for both salmon and trout. Salmon 
run from 15 to 30 lbs. 

***Oocn)out. — A very fine stream ; fish abundant from 15 to 40 lbs. ; 
trout very plenty. 

BetsGie. — Much run down. 

Mistassini. — Run down ; needs restocking. 

English. — Plenty of trout ; not much good for salmon. 

^Bersimis. — Large deep river ; abundance of salmon, 15 to 45 lbs. 
The main river is too large and deep for fly-fishing. Reserved for 
Indians. 

***iVii)mewecffl^p?^a».T-Tributary of Bersimis ; good fly- fishing for 
salmon of from 15 to 45 lbs. 

GolomMer. — Nets and trout only. 

Plover. — Nets and trout only. 

Blanche. — Nets and trout only, and run down. 

* Laval. — Fair fishing both for salmon and trout. ■ 

Swult ait Gochon. — Run down by lumbering. High falls near 
mouth. 

'^Portneuf. — Few salmon and abundance of trout. 

Grand Escoumains. — Once very good ; ruined by lumbering. 

Great Bergeronne. — A few salmon, abundance of trout. 

Rivers discharging into the Saguenay. 

*'^8t. Margaret, JST. W. Branch. — Large tributary of Saguenay ; 
fine fly-fishing for salmon of from 10 to 23 lbs. ; also trout. 
***Si(. Margaret, JV. E. Branch. — Same as preceding. 



23 The Americcm Salmon-fisTiermom. 

* Little Saguenay. — A few salmon 10 to 22 ibs., and abundance of 
trout. 

"St. Jean Bixer. — Salmon from 12 to 18 lbs. ; restocked last two 
years. 

^'Bker-au-Mars.—Tv\b\ii2irj of Saguenay, owned by Mr. Pierce, 
who has a registering fish-slide showing the number of fish that 
pass up each season; has five good pools ; salmon 12 to 18 lbs. 

Rivers discharging into tlie St. Lawrence aiove Saguenay. 

Black Salmon. — Formerly good ; run down ; recently restocked. 
Small river. 

* Murray. — A few salmon caught each season ; recently restocked ; 
salmon large — from 15 to 40 lbs. 

Bu Oouffre. — Run down ; restocked last two years. 
^St. Anne. — Fau- salmon-fishing at the chute ; 12 to 25 lbs. 
*^ Jacques Cartier. — Good salmon-fishing, chiefly grilse ; salmon 
early in season from 10 to 15 lbs. ; grUse, 2i to 5 lbs. 

Rivers discliarging into the St. Lawrence on south side, 
helow Quebec. 

Quelle. — ^Four mill-dams ; fish cannot ascend river ; run down, 

Bic. — Few salmon taken each season. 

'^Bimouski. — Run down ; in a rainy season eighty fish have been 
taken from 15 to 40 lbs. 

'^Ch'and Metis. — Good river ; fish from 12 to 45 lbs. 

*Matane. — Large fish. Badly poached. Fish 12 to 30 lbs. 

Cape CA«^. ^Shallow; few salmon taken each season ; run down. 

^^St. Amies. — Abundance of salmon taken each year ; average, 
25 lbs. 

Moni Lewis. — Few salmon, many trout. 

^Magdeleine. — Good fishing for five miles to falls ; salmon large ; 
average, 22 lbs. 

Rivers floiving into north shore of Bay Chaleur. 

*Da/rtmmitti. — Good fishing for two rods ; 15 to 20 lbs. 

^^^TorTc. — Good river ; salmon from 15 to 45 lbs. 

**St. Jolm. — Fine river ; plenty salmon and trout ; fish large. 



List of the Sahnon-7'ivers of Canada. 23 

Mai Bay. — Run down ; restocked last July ; lots of trout. 

* Grand River. — Good ; about 100 salmon taken each year from 10 
to 20 lbs. 

^Little Pabos. — Not very good ; fair for trout. 

*Grand Pabos. — Improving ; lots of trout, and salmon from 10 to 
18 lbs. 

Port Daniel. — Not much fished ; being restocked. 

"^ Great Bonaventure. — Good salmon stream. Very clear water. 
Fish run from 12 to 28 lbs. 

* Little Gascapedia. — Small river, run down ; few salmon from 12 
to 20 lbs. taken each year. Lots of trout. 

***Grand Gascapedia. — Noble river ; abundance of salmon up to 
56 lbs. 

**BestigouGhe. — Very 'fine salmon-river ; fish from 15 to 35 or 40 
lbs. 

"^Upsalquiteh. — Tributary of Restigouche ; salmon 10 to 18 lbs.; 
grilse from 3 to 5 lbs. 

^Patapedia. — Tributary of Restigouche ; reserved for the breeding 
of salmon by the Restigouche Salmon Club. 

^Kedgeimck. — Tributary of Restigouche ; same as last. 

^Metapedia. — Discharges into Restigouche, near its mouth ; large 
salmon ; good fly-fishing. 

^Goscapscal. — Tributary of Metapedia. Same as above. 

Rivers cliscliarging into south shore of Bay Chaleur, below 
Camplellton. 

Eel River. — A few salmon ; good trout. 

G harlot. — Yields yearly a few salmon ; good trouting. 

^Jacquet. — Substantially the same ; better salmon-river than 
Chariot. 

*Nipissigmt. — Fine salmon-fishing ; abundance of fish at falls. 
Not very large, 10 to 15 lbs. 

^MiramicTii. — Very much run down ; formerly good. 

Branches of N. W. Branch of Miramichi : 

Little Southioest. 

Little Sevogle. 

*Big Sevogle. — Plenty of small salmon. 



24 The American Salmon-jisJierman. 

All these streams are run down ; recently restocked by the Do- 
minion Government. 
Branches of S. W. Branch of MiramicM: 
Bartholomew. 
Gams. 
Dungarvon. 
Taxis. 

Rock Brooh. 
Gleanoater. 
Burnt Hill. 
All run down ; recently restocked by Dominion Government. 

Upper Salmon and Big Salmon, Bay of Fundy. — Salmon in mod- 
erate quantity are taken in these rivers. 

Tohique and JVasJiwanJc, tributaries of St. John. — Until the summer 
of 1884 it was believed that the salmon of the Tobique would not 
rise to the fly. Eighteen were then so taken by one angler. This 
is my most recent information in reference to this river. Of the 
Nashwank I have learned nothing. 

Anticosti Island. 

* Jupiter. 

*Salmon. 

T7ie salmon-rivers of JVova Scotia, offer little encouragement to 
strangers, since the run is over by the first of June, or even earlier. 
The Margaree Biver, in Gape Breton, is, however, an exception : it 
furnishes very fair salmon-fishing throughout the summer, except iu 
times of low water and drought 



The Outfit — Hods. 25 



CHAPTER 11. 

THE OUTFIT— RODS. 

Let us suppose that the advertisement and correspond- 
ence have done their work, and that a good fishing has 
been secured. 

The next thing in order is to procure the outfit neces- 
sary to render the fishing-privilege available. The rod, 
being the most important element, claims first attention. 

To the selection of this implement the angler cannot 
give too much care and attention, A poor rod is like a 
tight boot. The unhappy possessor is never at ease until 
he has thrown it into the ash-heap, or passed it over to 
some other unfortunate. 

If a rod for trout-fishing was in view, no American 
angler of the slightest experience would dream of buying 
any but an American rod, or of being influenced in its 
selection by any foreign work on angling. But so little, 
comparatively, has been done and said on salmon-fishing 
in this country, and so much in Great Britain, that the 
American angler is apt to turn to and be guided by 
English authorities. He will read of rods eighteen, nine- 
teen, and twenty feet long. Well may he groan when 
he thinks of brandishing such a weaver's beam all the 
livelong day, and question whether he would not find 
sawing wood equally beneficial and far less laborious. 

In the matter of fishing-rods, I cannot but think the 



36 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

mechanical common-sense of our English brethren is 
somewhat obscured by respect for tradition. 

It is true that a longer rod will effectively handle a 
somewhat longer line than a shorter rod. The limit 
claimed for this advantage by its most hearty advocate 
is five feet of additional line for each additional foot of 
rod. I believe this to be excessive, but let it stand. 
Then with an eighteen-foot rod fifteen feet more line can 
be handled than with a fifteen-foot rod. When this has 
been conceded to the longer rod, all that can be said in 
its favor has been said. But is this advantage a prac- 
tical advantage, and of practical value ? I think not. 
Even the English authorities are substantially unanimous 
in that a cast of seventy-five or eighty feet is a command 
of distance ample for all practical purposes. But this 
distance has been more than covered with a single-handed 
rod ten and a half feet long. It must then be within 
command of a double-handed rod fifteen feet long. 

Five and a half times the length of a rod is believed 
by many to measure the effective distance which can be 
covered with that rod in actual fishing. Though this 
rule is certainly fiot very far out, still it must be applied 
with a thorough understanding of the principles upon 
which it is based, or it will mislead. In casting the fly 
the rod is the fixed and the line the variable element. 
It is obvious that the line cannot be moved or managed 
except by the rod. From the rod is derived every im- 
pulse which makes the line eificient in fly-fishing. When 
the line is short and at a right angle with the rod, it is 
clear that a given motion of the rod will impart the 
maximum motion to the line. The line is then under the 
most jDcrfect possible control. 



The Outfit— Bods. 



27 



It may Ibe demonstrated that as the line lengthens, and 
that as the rod departs from a right angle with the line 
— either, or both — a given movement of the rod will pro- 
duce a diminishing effect upon the line. If the rod and 
line were two bodies inflexible except at the hinge-joint 
that united them, this would be all we should have to con- 
sider. We would then draw a circle, using the grasp of 
the rod as a centre, and its length above the grasp as the 
radius. This circle would then correctly represent the 
path described by the tip of the rod in the act of striking 
a fish, or in retrieving the line for the " back-cast." We 
now produce a horizontal line to represent the water. 
The distance from a point on this circle to the water will 
represent a given length of fishing-line. If we now set 
a pair of compasses to this distance, and, applying one 
extremity to any other jooint of the circle, see where the 
other leg reaches the water-line, we can determine how 
much the movement of the rod through the given inter- 
val has withdravm the line. It will be found to dimin- 
ish as the length of line is increased. 

The following diagram demonstrates this: 




Fig. 1. 



A -S represents a portion of a circle described by the 
tip of a rod in casting; CD, the water-line; E J^ and 



28 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

G H, equal lengths of line. The movement of the tip 
from JEJ io G has retracted the line from F Xo II. EI 
and G €7 also represent equal lengths of line. The same 
movement of the tip from E to G has retracted the line, 
hut from I to J, obviously less than the distance from 
i^to^ 

But this is, so to speak, but the preface of the story. 
It is the motion of the extreme tip of the rod, not of any 
other part, which determines the retraction of the line. 
Now if the outer end of the line is fastened, no matter 
how much motion is given to the rest of the rod, the end 
of the tip remains stationary and the line is not re- 
tracted. What angler has not demonstrated this to his 
utter disgust when he has hung his flies on the back-cast 
in gome tree, the existence and location of which he has 
failed duly to consider ? If the line, instead of being 
fast at its outer extremity, were submerged for a part 
of its length in tar, the same result would follow; nor 
would there be any difi^erence, except in degree, if water 
was substituted for the tar. 

It follows, then, that there must be some length of line 
upon which the friction of the water, coupled with the 
inertia of the line itself, will be so great as to overpower 
the stiffness of the rod. The tip then remains stationary 
though the rod itself may be doubled up by the energy 
of the angler; and though its elasticity may at length 
start the line into motion, it will do so but tardily, and 
too late to answer any useful purpose. 

It thus appears that the ability to strike a rising fish 
fails first, since that motion must be prompt upon the 
rise to be of avail. Subsequently, and with an increased 
length of line, the power to retrieve the line for the 



The Outfit— Hods. 29 

back-cast is also lost, since all the energy of the rod is 
expended in slowly drawing the line over and through 
the water, leaving no surplus force to raise the line and 
send it on its flight through the air behind the angler 
preparatory to a fresh cast. 

These considerations form the basis upon which rests 
the rule that five times, or five and a half times, the 
length of the rod is the limit of practical fly-fishing. 
At this distance the power to strike a rising fish is prac- 
tically lost. 

But it is clear that any cause which lessens the friction 
of the line upon or in the water diminishes the resist- 
ance which the rod must overcome, and consequently 
increases the useful range of the cast. Such an agency is 
running water, since the current buoys up the line so that 
it sinks less. The rule, then, though sufliciently accurate 
for still water, will more or less understate the ability of 
a rod where a more or less sharp current lends it aid. , 

Now, a fifteen-foot rod, according to the rule, should 
handle a line of at least five times its length in still water, 
or seventy-five feet. But the fly is cast, for salmon, 
almost, if not quite, invariably upon a current, and a 
pretty sharp current too. Again, the loss of the ability 
to strike is of no moment. As we shall endeavor to show 
hereafter, it is the very first thing that an old trout-fish- 
erman wants to lose — or at any rate to ignore, I there- 
fore believe that a good fifteen-foot rod in skilled hands 
will fish efiiciently at a point eighty to ninety feet distant 
from the angler, and that such a rod is amply long for 
substantially every exigency of fly-fishing for salmon on 
this side of the Atlantic. 

But if a fifteen-foot rod is practically as efficient as one 



30 The American Salmon-fishermcm. 

of eighteen or twenty feet, it is incomparably superior in 
the comfort its use will afford, as well as in its control 
over a heavy fish. It is not the actual weight of a rod 
in avoirdupois ounces which fatigues the angler, hut the 
leverage against him. To lift a given length of line, or 
to impose a given strain upon a fish, with an eighteen- 
foot rod, must necessarily require a far greater effort on 
the part of the angler than if the rod measured but fifteen 
feet. All agree that to cast all day with a salmon-rod is 
really hard work even for the able-bodied. But in view 
of the preceding considerations, it may well be ques- 
tioned whether one half of this is not often absolutely 
waste labor. 

I therefore recommend the purchase of an American 
rod, or at least one made upon the principles accepted 
and acted on by American rod-makers; and, unless the 
purchaser be one " the muscles on whose brawny arms 
are, firm as iron bands," I would recommend fifteen feet, 
or that and a few inches, as a quite sufiicient length. 
Not to Goliath of Gath, would I recommend a rod much 
exceeding sixteen feet. 

Indeed, where the fishing is open and fortune smiles, 
after the wire-edge of the appetite has been taken off by 
the capture of a reasonable number of salmon with the 
double-handed rod, so that the loss of a fish is not too 
harrowing, I question whether strict angling morality 
does not thereafter require us to resort to a single-handed 
rod of ten feet six inches to eleven feet in length, and 
of from nine to ten ounces in weight, — particularly if the 
fishing is so remote from communication that the fish 
cannot be sent out, and the supply exceeds the camp 
needs. For a fly-fisherman to condemn fish legitimately 



The Outfit — Rods. 31 

taken with the fly, whether trout or salmon, to the salt- 
ing-barrel, has always seemed to me a breach of angling 
propriety but little better than throwing tbem aside to 
rot. It is a mere matter of sentiment, I admit; but those 
are my sentiments. To take salmon with a single-handed 
rod is certainly more sportsmanlike, since it requires 
greater skill and the fish has more chance. It is also 
more economical, since the contest will be more pro- 
tracted, and that alternation of hope and fear which 
constitutes the great charm of salmon-fishing continues 
for a longer time with each fish. Thus fewer fish furnish 
more fun, which after all is the main thing. With a 
canoe as a movable base from which to conduct opera- 
tions, and a proper reel and line, the angler is sufficiently 
sure of ultimate victory to warrant the effort; and, stim- 
ulated by an approving conscience and perhaps just a 
little dash of self-conceit, the silver sheen and graceful 
outline of a salmon so taken will far surpass in its cap- 
tor's eyes — yes, and in the eyes of others — the best that 
any competing double-handed rod may produce. 

Having decided on the length of the rod, choose one 
having as nearly as possible the action of the favorite 
trout-rod. Many err in selecting a rod because they do 
not handle it in the shop under the conditions to which 
they are accustomed in the field. The counterpoising 
effect of the reel should never be guessed at or ignored. 
It is the balance — or in other words the leverage — of a 
rod, rather than its actual weight on the scales, which 
really determines whether a rod of a given length is 
heavy or light. When poised to test its balance, a prop- 
erly proportioned rod without the reel will always feel 



33 The American Sahnon-Jisherman. 

top-heavy when compared to a like rod used as in actual 
fishing with reel in place. The longer the rod the more 
marked the difference becomes. If this is overlooked in 
the selection of a salmon-rod, the purchaser will naturally 
choose one without the apparent defect, and get in con- 
sequence one abnormally light in the tij). This is one of 
the very woi'st faults a salmon-rod can have. A heavy 
line is so advantageous in salmon-fishing as to be almost 
indispensable. The rod must have the power to lift and 
handle such a line with certainty and precision. Doubt- 
less some men can, with patient practice, do pretty fair 
work with a rifle the sights of which are qui^ out of 
alignment, but that is no argument for the selection of 
such a rifle. A pertinacious struggle may at last in some 
measure overcome the difficulty, but that is no reason why 
the difficulty should be voluntarily created 

A rod of which the tip is not absolutely under the 
command of the lower part is exactly like a rifle the 
sights of which are out of adjustment. It is the extreme 
end of the tip which directs the fly to its mark. The 
complications caused by wind and neighboring obstacles 
will sufficiently exercise the skill of the angler, without 
handicapping himself v.'ith what might well be likened to 
a gun with a crooked barrel. 

The next step is to see that the curve described by the 
rod when bent is a true curve. Its presence indicates 
that each fibre of the rod is bearing its proper share of the 
load. But if the I'od shows a broken curve — stiff, alternat 
ing with softer places — the strain is unfairly distributed. 
In the first case the rod has all its resources at command 
for the day of the trial of its strength, like a good army 
ably handled; in the other it is like an army the compo- 



The Oxitjit—Rods. 33 

nent parts of which are scattered beyond supporting dis- 
tance of one another — sure to be beaten in detail if seri- 
ously attacked. A true curve in a rod is like personal 
integrity in a man — with it he can be relied on; without 
it he cannot. 

The best method of testing this is by fastening a string 
from the end of the tip to any convenient projection. 
One person then puts a strain on the rod, while tbe pur- 
chaser studies the curve. The strain should be tolerably 
severe and the curve quite pronounced. The curve may 
be parabolic in character, that is, with the bend mainly 
on the upper part of the rod; or it may be a true arc 
of a circle, or any curve between these two extremes, 
according to the style of action the rod may have — it is 
immaterial which. But the curve should be an even one. 
One single place in the whole length of the rod which is 
either unduly straight or unduly bent should condemn 
the rod. Perhaps a suspicion of liberality may be shown 
to the neighborhood of the ferrules, but only a suspicion. 

This brings us to the question of how the rod should 
be joined together, for clearly a salmon-rod all in one 
piece is out of the question. 

In the Provinces the American angler will find spliced 
rods decidedly predominant. The sight of a ferruled rod 
operates with the certainty of hot water and mustard on 
one who is accustomed to a spliced rod, and he can no 
more refrain from doing a little missionary work on be- 
half of his favorite method than he can refrain from 
breathing. The more ingenuous will admit, though with 
reluctance, that it is rather a nuisance to join such a rod 
properly; also, that the ends of the splices are delicate 
3 



34 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

and must be protected with assiduous care when the rod 
is apart. Nay more, if really crowded into a comer, an 
admission may be extorted that it is rare to find a spliced 
rod of two or more seasons' use, the thin ends of the splices 
of which are not split or broken. 

But nothing is absolutely perfect in this world. Is not 
a rod all in one single piece the ideal rod ? And what is 
a sj)liced rod when joined together but a single-piece rod? 
" Pretty must hurt." We do submit to some inconven- 
iences, but we obtain thereby the true ideal — a degree of 
perfection unattainable in anyferruled rod! 

This sounds rather plausible. But before we are talked 
into any really revolutionary action let us consider the 
matter a little. 

When a fishing-rod is straight, if we limit our attention 
to any short portion of its length, its sides may be con- 
sidered as parallel and of equal length. Now let us bend 
the rod, and, confining our attention to the same part, 
see what takes place. The upper and lower sides of the 
rod are no longer straight, but each has assumed the form 
of an arc of a circle, one arc lying within the other, and 
both having a common centre. That arc most distant 
from the centre must therefore be the longer, and the arc 
nearer the centre must be the shorter. And such is the 
fact. In bending the rod we have stretched the fibres of 
the upper and compressed those of the under portion of 
the rod. It is the reluctance of these fibres to submit to 
this distention and compression which is the stiffness of a 
rod, and it is their promptness to return to their original 
condition which constitutes its elasticity. 

We have now clearly in mind that in bending a rod we 
stretch the upper and condense the lower side, and that 



The Outfit — Rods. 



35 



stiffness and elasticity are but other terms to express the 
resistance offered by the material of the rod to this en- 
forced change. 

Now suppose we take two pieces of wood each of one 
square inch in cross-section, and, laying one upon the 
other, lash them together as firmly as we can in the posi- 
tion shown at A in the cut. 

This I will hereafter call the "compound stick." 





Fig. 2. 

Let us also prepare a single piece of wood B like the 
other in every rtispect, except that its cross-section meas- 
ures one inch by two. It is therefore of exactly the same 
dimensions as the compound stick we have made by lash- 
ing the two inch-square pieces together. 

Now let us place the ends of the single and of the com- 
pound stick upon equidistant supports so that both rest 
on edge, and impose an equal load.on the middle of each. 
Each stick will then oppose to its load a section of 
material one inch wide and two inches in perpendicular 
depth, — in short, an exactly equal length and quantity of 
material, disposed in exactly the same position, to meet 
an exactly equal strain. 



36 • The American Salmon-Jisherman. 

But wHcli will be the stiffer ? There is not a laborer 
who ever carried a hod up a gang-plank who does not 
know that the single stick is far stiffer than the com- 
pound. 

And it stands to reason. The fibres of the single stick 
must undergo a change throughout the entire depth of its 
two inches. It therefore follows that to bend a distance 
equal to that of the compound stick the outer fibres are 
subjected to a greater extension and compression, and 
that more force must be required to produce this greater 
result. 

But with the compound stick the case is quite different. 
The frictional contact of its two component parts one 
upon the other ultimately becomes less than the power of 
the fibres of each to resist change. The stress is there- 
fore in part relieved by one stick sliding on the other in 
the line of least resistance — that is, on the line of contact. 
Each part is in a measure beaten in detail. Here, as else- 
where, " In union lies strength." 

But which is the more elastic ? — or, what is the same 
thing, which will recover most promptly and completely 
on the removal of the deflecting load ? Clearly the single 
piece. The two parts of the compound piece slide one 
on the other during the deflection caused by the weight. 
But when the weight is removed, where is the power to 
cause them to slide back to their original position ? The 
elasticity of the parts may initiate the motion, but as the 
fibres approach their normal state this force uniformly 
decreases in strength, till ultimately the friction will pre- 
dominate. Recovery then ceases, and the compound stick 
remains bent until this friction is removed by separating 
its parts. 



The Outfit — Rods. 37 

This, it seems to me, is the philosophy of the sj)lice. 
If so, then it is a delusion. The rod must he stiff er, and 
must be more elastic at the solid, than at the spliced parts. 

I have seen many spliced rods in use. The foregoing 
is, in great part, not the result of abstract reasoning upon 
an abstract proposition, but rather of an effort to assign 
a cause for results which obtruded themselves upon my 
notice. 

Unless some adhesive — like glue, for example — is inter- 
posed between the spliced surfaces, I believe a spliced 
rod is just as defective as a rod joined with very long 
ferrules. The defect, it is true, is in the opposite direc- 
tion, but I am by no means sure it is not practically far 
more objectionable. 

I have seen many a spliced rod, which, when it was 
joined, was perfectly straight. But I cannot recall one 
which did not show the " softness" of the splice when 
bent, nor have I ever seen one which after a heavy and 
protracted strain, such as that of fighting a salmon, did 
not show a droop at each splice until straightened by ex- 
trinsic aid. On the other hand, I have seen many and 
many a f erruled rod in the bend of which the eye failed 
to detect the slightest departure from a true curve, and 
which recovered promptly and completely from every 
strain. I will go still further: I believe and maintain 
that, given two rods, — the one the ideal rod of a single 
piece, and the second properly ferruled, both otherwise 
precisely alike, — the most skilled, if blindfolded, cannot 
distinguish the action of one from the other. 

I therefore recommend the American angler to set his 
face as a flint against the propaganda of the splice. 



38 The American Salmon-fislier'nian. 

In my Ibook " Fly -Rods and Fly -Tackle" the philosophy 
of the ferrule was discussed at length. I can only add, 
that further thought, experiment, and experience suggest 
no change or error therein. For years the manufacture 
of fly-rods and fly-tackle has been my chief recreation. I 
believe I may conscientiously say that every effort, except 
perhaps at the very outset, has been directed, not so 
much to produce a rod or other implement, as to subject 
some theory to the crucial test of actual experiment. 

A short ferrule with a cylindrical bore made from 
tubing drawn inside and out — that is, drawn through an 
annular die upon a polished mandrel — for the outside fer- 
rule, and an inside ferrule without dowels and fitting its 
mate throughout the length of the insertion, and inserted 
when the rod is put together until the neighboring ends 
of the joints are almost if not quite in contact, were there 
advocated as the best method of uniting the several joints 
of a trout-rod. 

I now assert what I could not then, since I had not 
actually tried it, that it is both the simplest and the best 
known method of jointing a salmon-rod. 

When, during the winter of 1884-85, I announced to 
some of my angling friends, particularly those in the 
trade, that I proposed to make a salmon-rod and unite its 
several joints with ferrules of this description, it was the 
old story over again. It might answer in a trout-rod, 
but under the severer strain of a salmon-rod such ferrules 
would surely split or bend or throw apart, and the first 
salmon struck would reduce my rod to a wreck and 
plunge me in that slough of despond into which the 
angler always sinks when he encounters such a disaster. 

My old argument, that I had used this form of ferrule 



Tlie Outfit — Hods. 39 

for more than ten successive years in the, heavy trout- 
fishing of Maine without the slightest accident, and that 
therefore any failure which might be cited against it 
must necessarily be due to faulty workmanship rather 
than error in principle of construction, was no longer 
available. As far as I knew, a salmon-rod had never 
been so joined. Thus I could but answer theory with 
theory, and with the usual result: 

" A man convinced against his will 
Is of the same opinion still." 

The salmon-rod in question was fifteen and one half 
feet long, and in three joints of equal length. The long- 
est ferrule — that uniting the butt and middle joint — was 
three and one half inches long, and all the ferrules were 
fitted in accordance with the principles before set forth. 
No device whatever was used to prevent the joints throw- 
ing apart, except the natural cohesion due to the fitting 
of the ferrules one within the other. The ferrules were at 
all times kept well greased to facilitate ultimate separa- 
tion and to exclude water, as is my practice; while the 
metal of which they were composed was in itself an ex- 
periment, as far as this use of it was concerned, and was 
found so inferior to German silver or even good brass in 
stiffness, that it was not without hesitation and doubt that 
I used it at all. 

With this rod so united I took twenty-five salmon. 
The largest weighed thirty-two pounds, and was gaffed 
only after a struggle lasting one hour and fifty minutes. 
One fish of twenty-six pounds, taken after a fight of 
one hour and fifteen minutes, was hooked in the side 
about three inches back of the gill. One fish, which I 



40 The American Sahnon-jisherman. 

thouglit would weigh nearly if not quite forty pounds, 
was lost after one hour and thirty minutes' play, I 
brought it in to the hank, but at the approach of the 
gaffer it rallied, and made a sharp run of some sixty or 
seventy yards. I followed it down stream, and had grad- 
ually worked it in again until it was about thirty or 
forty feet distant. It was then a very sick fish, fre- 
quently rolling upon its side, as it came in with little or 
no resistance except that produced by the friction of the 
water. Then the last shred of skin which held the hook 
gave way, and it escaped. These are the times that try 
men's souls — as well as their morals. 

I lost another fish which I thought still larger. We 
had had it hot and heavy for thirty minutes, and I had 
worked him in quite near the bank, when down came an 
island of floating logs. At this inopportune moment the 
salmon started for the opposite shore at race-horse speed, 
passing just below the floating logs in his course. I 
thrust my rod under water nearly half its length in the 
hope that the obstruction might thus pass over the line. 
But when one hundred and ten yards were out something 
fouled it, and a leader tested to eight pounds parted, and 
the fish escaped. 

Of the whole lot of twenty-five fish actually reduced to 
possession, the majority were of twenty pounds or over, 
besides others not mentioned above, which were lost after 
a contest of greater or less duration. These fish were all 
" fresh-run," and were taken about four miles above tide- 
water. When I have used the term " fish," salmon are to 
be undei'stood in every instance. Indeed, nothing else 
is considered worthy of that name in a salmon-stream. 

This, it seems to me, is a pretty fair test of the simple 



The Outfit — Rods. 41 

ferrule. If its principle of construction is wrong — if such 
a ferrule will split or bend or throw apart, as claimed by 
its opponents, these defects, or some of them, should cer- 
tainly have made themselves manifest. 

Such was not the case. They were as perfect in every 
respect when I packed my rod to return home as when I 
took them from the lathe and first put them on the rod; 
and though no device whatever of any description was 
used to prevent them from throwing apart, aside from the 
cohesion due to their fit, not one of them ever started. 
Indeed, I might add that within a week after my return^ 
and without alteration or repair, I loaned this rod to a 
friend who was anxious to try his luck with salmon at 
the same place, and who also used it during his fishing 
without accident. 

" The proof of the pudding is in the eating." 

While the American angler will find the salmon-rods of 
England and the Provinces considerably cheaper than 
those made here,* I, notwithstanding, strongly recom- 
mend that the preference be given to a domestic rod. 
While the length and weight of English rods is in excess 
of our needs, it cannot be denied that many of their 
makers well know what the action of a fly-rod should be, 
and how it is to be obtained. Their material, too, is gen- 
erally excellent. But the American observer cannot but 
wonder why a people who produce mechanics capable of 
work so difficult and so exquisite as their gun-locks, for 

* I have recently seen American ash and lancewood ferruled sal- 
mon-rods retailing for fifteen dollars, which seemed fairly to com- 
pete even in this respect. They were really excellent rods — good 
enough for any one. 



4:2 The American Salrrion-fisherman. 

example, should turn out such wretched ferrules on their 
rods. Their patent-list, their angling books, and the 
advertising columns of their, fishing papers, hristle with 
devices to prevent ferruled fishing-rods from throwing 
apart. Now, with our fifty-five millions of people, and 
the great and constantly increasing popularity of angling 
among them, it may safely be assumed that full as many 
ferruled fishing-rods are in use here as in Great Britain, 
if not more. Plow is it, then, that on that side of the 
Atlantic some device to prevent the joints of a ferruled 
rod from throwing apart is thought absolutely necessary, 
while on this side such a device is thought to be abso- 
lutely useless ? 

This tells the whole story. While we are altogether 
indebted to England for the art of fly-fishing, and while 
we have learned and have still much to learn from 
there, it may well be questioned w^hether, in all that 
relates to the mechanics of the art, fish-hooks excepted, 
we are not in a position to repay her some of our many 
obligations. 

When a salmon takes the fly and starts for a run, his 
mind is fully made up. He is an obstinate brute, and 
run he will. He may leave the fly behind, or take it, or 
it and pai^t of the leader with him; but at all events he is 
bound to go. If the performance is not to end before 
the curtain has fairly risen, it is essential that the line 
suffer no check beyond the steady drag imj^osed by the 
click of the reel. An enamelled water-proofed salmon- 
line is an expensive thing, and the less it is worn in use the 
longer it will last. If, on the other hand, a small linen 
line be spliced to twenty-five or thirty yards of the more 



The Outfit — Rods. 



43 



expensive kind to be used when casting, it is essential 
that the splice shall always render freely when the line 
is taken by the fish or is recovered by the angler. 

Standing-guides rather than rings, and a " three-ringed 
top" rather than the ordinary single ring-top, would 
seem more fully to meet these conditions, while directing 
the line along the rod and from the end of the tip just as 
well. The guides may be tubular, as is usual on striped 
bass-rods, or they may be made of rather small and stout 
rings inclined at an angle toward one another so that 
they may meet above, while separated below a distance a 
little less than the diameter of the ring. They are silver- 
soldered together where they meet above, and are brought 
in contact with, and in like manner united to, a keeper 
below. These weigh but little more than the ordinary 
ring and keeper, the weight of the extra ring being partly 
offset by their smaller size. 



Fig. 4. 



Fig. 3. ^"'S- 5- 

He who desires to make his own rod will find full di- 
rections for that purpose in " Fly-Rods and Fly-Tackle." 
Since the method of planning a rod there given is a 
mathematical method applicable to rods of any size, but 
little need be added thereto. But three points need be 
known : the diameter at the extreme outer end of the tip, 
the diameter at the thickest place of the butt above the 
handle, and the distance between these two points. All 



44 Tlie American Salmon-JisJierman. 

else will determine itself. The smaller end of tip will be 
^ inch. The diameter of thickest part of butt-joint above 
handle for lancewood or greenheart will be f^ inch for a 
rod 15 feet over all, and f | inch for a 16-foot rod, meas- 
ured in the same manner. The handle should be 22 inches 
long, and the reel-seat should be placed 8^ to 9 inches 
from the outer end of the butt-cap. 

With good material, that uniform action of a fly-rod 
which makes it feel in the angler's hands as though it 
were a living thing, is most readily attained by making 
the thickest part of the middle joint and tip but little 
thinner than the smallest part of the joint immediately 
below it. The shorter the ferrules the more closely the 
diameters should approach one another. This is readily 
done if the male or entering ferrule be " capped " — that 
is, enlarged at the end which slips over the wood by a 
short metal band of greater diameter. If there is any 
reason for the common practice of capping both the male 
ferrule and its mate as well, then there must be reason in 
the construction of those rods which one sometimes sees, 
in which an abrupt and marked change of diameter occurs 
at every joint. If such reason exists, it has altogether 
eluded my investigation. 

We will conclude this chapter with this advice, which, 
to him who has not made it a practice, is worth all the 
trouble that reading this chapter has given: Grease your 
ferrules well before jointing your rod for use, and wipe 
them thoroughly inside and out before packing it away. 
Store it in a perpendicular or horizontal position and in a 
cool place, and tie no string or tape tight about the mid- 
dle of the bag which contains it. 



The Outfit — Reels. 45 



UEAPTEB HI. 

THE OUTFIT— REELS. 

Having selected our rod with the circumspection de- 
manded by its importance as a factor in determining the 
quantity of pleasure our fishing will afford, we naturally 
turn* to the choice of a reel, since this ranks next in con- 
sequence. 

The spool portion of the reel should be of such capac- 
ity as to hold at least one hundred and twenty yards of 
-S-line when somewhat carelessly wound upon it, and 
this so that not one single turn of the line projects be- 
yond the outer margin of the spool. 

In salmon-fishing it is not that the line should at all 
times render freely from the reel, less the constant and 
uniform restraint of the click: it is a case of must — it is 
absolutely hnperative if anything other than bitter disap- 
pointment is to result from its use. 

I shall never forget a little drama enacted on the 
banks of a celebrated salmon-stream in June, 1885. The 
hero of the play was a man of skill and experience as an 
angler. His chief attendant, or gaffer, was an athletic 
Indian of such piscatorial ambition that gall and worm- 
wood might be ranked as nectar if compared to his cha- 
grin when another canoe brought in more or larger fish 
as the result of the day's sport. He was also one who 
dreamed dreams, and saw visions in the night. When 



46 The American 8ahno7i-fisherman. 

he first pushed the canoe from the bank in the morning 
he always delivered the auspices: "Catch fish to-day: I 
dreamed woodchuck" — or something else, for the omens 
which portended good-luck were numerous, and of varied 
character. 

On this occasion the seer was -on his mettle. His 
practised eye and varied experience had long since in- 
formed him that his present employer was one to 
make the most of the smiles of fortune. So it came to 
pass that one auspicious day they raised and fastened 
a fish clearly quite a little larger than anything that 
had been taken that season. Had the fish been of Solid 
silver, as it looked to be, neither could have welcomed it 
with more ardor, or more earnestly desired to make it 
his. The contest was waged from the canoe for quite a 
while, and was then adjourned to the bank as the fish be- 
came more amenable to reason. They worked him in 
gradually, but at the approach of the gaffer he moved 
out again into the stream. Then came a crisis. Some- 
thing went wrong in the bowels of the reel, and the 
spool refused to turn under a sti'ain which threatened 
either to pull the fish's head off or break the tackle. The 
angler was too old a hand to spare his rod in such an 
emergency, and he taxed it to the utmost, while he en- 
deavored with some success to tear the line from the reel 
with his right hand. The seer flew to his assistance. 
Together they performed like a dog in a hornet's nest, 
feedkig out to the struggling fish such instalments of 
line as they were able to drag out by main force despite 
the obstruction. Suddenly the reel seemed to think bet- 
ter of it, and resumed its usual complacent demeanor. 
The barometer of their feelings, then clear way down 



The Outfit — Reels. 47 

below the despair mark, began to rise. Things went on 
in pretty much the usual manner for another twenty 
minutes or so, when the fish began another tour. Again 
the reel struck work, the leader parted, and away went 
the fish, carrying with it a new silver doctor-fly and its 
owner's happiness. Words would fail to do justice to 
the picture. There stood the angler and the seer blankly 
looking at one another, each with his mouth open as 
though he desired to prove to his vis-d-vis that the sud- 
den and unexpected disappearance of the salmon was not 
due to his having swallowed it. But let us drop the cur- 
tain, and shut out the scene that followed. 

This fragment has been recalled from the past to illus- 
trate, and if possible to enforce, the absolute necessity of 
a good reel. No human skill can avert disaster if this 
indispensable part of the outfit refuses duty when fast to 
a fish.' It is like spiking the guns of an army in the 
crisis of battle. 

That the spool of the reel has the capacity to receive 
the line when wound carefully thereon, in peace and 
quiet, and with the aid of some helping friend, is not 
enough. When the result is of moment, circumstances 
will preclude that care, and the angler must rely on his 
own unaided efforts. In case of doubt, therefore, let the 
error be on the side of excessive rather than deficient 
capacity. 

A reel, the diameter of the spool of which is 3|- inches, 
with a width between the outer margins of its sides of 
If inches, will safely carry the desired length of one 
hundred and twenty yards of S-line. 

Other very important features are the mechanism of 
the click, and the degree of resistance it offers. The 



48 The American Salmon-Jisherman. 

primary object of the click is neither to burden tlie fish, 
nor to furnish an orchestral accompaniment to his play. 
These are both important functions, but they are not the 
function of the click. It is primarily designed to pre- 
vent the reel from overrunning. It is said a salmon can 
swim fifteen hundred feet a minute. I do not know how 
this is, for I have never measured it; but if it is permis- 
sible to judge from mere impression, then from fifteen 
to one hundred and fifty miles is nearer the mark. But 
moderation is an excellent thing, so let us be moderate 
and assume sixty miles — or a mile a second — as about the 
thing. 

Now when line is drawn from a reel at any such 
rate as this, it is clear that the spool must revolve with 
considerable industry. Salmon are quite self-willed. 
They never stop to consult the angler as to their move- 
ments, while they show a decided predilection for ex- 
actly that which, viewed from the standpoint of the 
canoe or bank, they ought not to do. They will rush 
out line with a velocity and in such quantity as to fill 
the angler with the liveliest apprehension, notwithstand- 
ing that he follows them down the bank at his best pace, 
totally regardless of the fact that his shins are fast as- 
suming the complexion of a huckleberry pie from the ob- 
stacles which beset the path; or despite the fact that his 
canoe-men are nearly breaking their backs in the effort 
to keep within some kind of range. Does he then slow 
down gradually, and come to a state of rest in an orderly 
and well-conducted manner? Not a whit. He bounds 
into the air like an acrobat, falls back into the vrater with 
a splash, and comes to as dead a stop as if converted into 
one of the stones which line the river-bed. Here he may 



The Outfit— Reels. 49 

remain motionless for ten minutes; or, in half as many 
seconds, he may dart through the water as though bound 
over the neighboring hills to some distant and less 
troubled river, where man ventures not and the insects 
are less hot-footed. The pdrt of the reel in all this play 
is that of second fiddle. It must be strictly a duet, and 
never a solo. When the fish runs it must promptly re- 
spond with its cheerful melody; when he stops, it must 
at once begin to count " forty bars rest." For, if per- 
versely independent, it continues to run on its own ac- 
count, the outer turns then remaining on the spool be- 
come loose and confused; the angler, hastening to regain 
line, winds over them; the salmon takes a fresh run; the 
line renders as it should till the place of the last halt 
is reached ; but there it fouls, refuses to render, the leader 
parts, and the angler lifts up his voice and — weeps. 

When one hundred and twenty yards of line are wound 
upon my own reel, which seems to answer all these re- 
quirements, the coil measures 3f inches in diameter. If 
the line is then led through the rings of a rod to a 
spring-balance, and a strain is applied by bending the rod, 
the click starts when half a pound is indicated. When 
the line is half exhausted one pound is required ; and 
when the combined diameter of the axle and the remain- 
ing line measures one inch, three pounds are necessary. 

Some salmon-reels are now to be had with a drag ad- 
justable from the outside, which can readily be made to 
supplement the click with any desired amount of resist- 
ance. They are esJcellent, but expensive.* 

* I have recently seen a good serviceable reel of this description 
retaih'ng for % 5. The market price of salmon fishing tackle shows 
a marked downward tendency at present. 
4 



50 The American Salmon-JisherTnan. 

Others are constructed with a piece of flat spring-metal 
bent into the shape of one half of a bow wagon-spring. 
This is placed in the cavity formed between the spool and 
the outer plate on the handle-side of the reel, and acts in 
the following manner: The axle of the reel is inserted 
through a hole in the middle of this spring, and the whole 
is so arranged that when the outer plate of the reel and 
the spool are in position, the middle of the springs bears 
against the spool and its extremities bear against the 
outer plate. It acts as a drag, and its vigor may be ad- 
justed by taking the reel apart, and increasing or diminish- 
ing the bend in the spring as more or less resistance is de- 
sired. But in using a drag of this kind, the bearing of the 
spring upon the spool, which is the place of motion, must 
be well lubricated with a lubricant having considerable 
body. Had this jDrecaution been taken, the disaster with 
which this chapter opens would never have occurred. 

It is apparent from the foregoing that the life of the 
click is one of severe usage, and that if it is to be of long 
duration every pai't must be of the very best. 

Lightness in a salmon-reel, though important, is not of 
such consequence as in a trout-reel. One pound, when 
empty, is a light weight for one of the capacity indicated. 
Three or four ounces additional, however, is of far less 
consequence tha-n any possible deficiency in strength and 
durability. A poor salmon-reel to one who has to use it, 
is dear even though a free gift. 

LINES. 

.The varieties and merits of lines for fly-fishing, as well 
as the materials and methods of manufacture, were quite 
fully considered in my former volume. 



The Outfit^Lines. 51 

As to the kind of line to be used, an enamelled water- 
proofed line is altogether to be preferred. But the best 
is worth ten cents a yard, bringing the cost of a line of 
one hundred and twenty yards up to the not inconsider- 
able sum of twelve dollars. 

Many economize here by buying thirty or forty yards 
of this line, and splicing to it a hundred yards of twisted 
" Cuttyhunk" twelve-thread linen line. Until the angler 
fastens a fish the water-proofed line alone is in use, so 
that facility in casting the fly is not affected. When, 
however, the fish has been struck and is in play, the linen 
line comes into use and gives the latitude required to 
humor its vagaries. Twelve-thread Cuttyhunk-line ranges 
between an E and an F water-proofed line in diameter. 
It takes up much less room on the reel than a water- 
proofed ^-line, since the latter is three sizes thicker. 
Thus a reel which will be overloaded with one hundred 
and twenty yards of J?-line, will accommodate one hun- 
dred and fifty yards of this combination - line without 
difficulty. The Cuttyhunk-line costs one and a half cents 
a yard, and, since it will lift a dead weight of eighteen 
pounds, has ample strength. 

This is a very good arrangement provided the splice is 
well made. It is difficult to imagine an angler in a more 
hopelessly embarrassing position than to be fast to a 
salmon, and find that the splice of his line has fouled in 
the rod-rings. The splice may refuse to render at all, or 
it may run out as smoothly as possible and then resist 
every effort to bring it back. The first is the happier lot, 
since then the whole thing is over in a breath, like pulling 
a tooth, and the angler can abandon himself altogether to 
wishing his economy at the bottom of the river. In the 



52 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

second case he will lose his fish just the same, but there 
will be an interval during which he and his gaffer will al- 
most climb out of their clothes in a vain endeavor to pre- 
vent the inevitable. 

If this plan is adopted, therefore, too much care cannot 
be given to making the splice. To so unite the lines that 
they will break rather than draw apart, presents not the 
slightest difficulty. But that there be no abrupt increase 
in diameter where at the ends of the splice the single 
passes into the double thickness, is another matter. 

To accomplish this we first scarf the ends to be united 
for about a quarter of an inch — that is, trim them off by 
cutting or scraping with a knife so that they gradually 
diminish in thickness to nothing. Next an inch and a 
quarter of each end is well coated with shoemaker's wax, 
and warmed so as to induce the wax to penetrate as much 
as possible. We will now assume the water-proofed line 
to lead to the right, and the linen line to the left of the 
operator. Having provided himself with a needle threaded 
with doubled silk well coated with the same wax, he fast- 
ens the water-proofed line a foot or two from the splice 
so that he can pull on it; he then iakes three or four turns 
with the silk around the water-proofed line, then places the 
scarf of the linen line close to it, and winds up and on to the 
scarf, drawing the silk tight, and winding as closely and 
smoothly as possible. After having wound over the scarf, 
he passes the needle between the lines and makes three or 
four solid turns around the linen line alone; then he re- 
sumes winding over both parts for a short distance; then 
takes three or four turns round the water-proofed line 
only; then over both; then over the linen line alone — re- 
peating these operations until the wrapping extends be- 



The Outfit — Lines. 53 

yond the scarf of the water-proofed line on to the linen line, 
where he fastens off with an invisible knot. He then 
tests the integrity of the job by a spring-balance pull of 
ten pounds, and finally gives the entire wrapping a couple 
of coats of shellac. 

To begin at the right and wrap to the left, as indicated 
above, will be found more than a mere matter of con- 
venience. Then the left hand can hold the parts to be 
united parallel with one another during the operation, 
and keep their tension equal. A smoother as well as a 
more secure splice is the result. 

Angling for salmon with the fly is always conducted on 
a river, and down stream. When we fish for trout in the 
streams of this country, the stream is usually small, and 
so protected by surrounding forest that the direction of 
the wind is of little moment. If, on the other hand, we 
fish in ponds or on lakes, we are ordinarily able so to 
manoeuvre as to bring the wind from a not unfavorable 
quarter. 

Salmon-rivers on this side of the Atlantic are ordinarily 
streams of considerable width, flowing through valleys of 
some depth. No matter what may be the direction of the 
wind above the hills, on the water it usually draws either 
up or down stream. Unless the angler wishes to devote 
perhaps days in succession to the amusement of twirling 
his thumbs in camp, he must be prepared to fish irrespec- 
tive of any such trifling drawback as an adverse wind. 
To do this, his line must be one capable of having con- 
siderable momentum imparted to it to overcome the wind. 
Now momentum is measured by the velocity of the mov- 
ing body multiplied by its weight. Therefore, to obtain 



54 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

the required momentum it is not enough that the angler 
impart any conceivable velocity to his line. It must also 
have weight if it is not speedily to succumb to the oppos- 
ing force of the wind. Of course little can be done in the 
teeth of half a gale of wind, and nothing against a gale. 
But against any ordinary summer breeze a v\"ater-proof ed 
B - line can be made so to hold its way, that fishing 
can notwithstanding be carried on with pleasure and 
profit. It is for this reason that it has been heretofore 
assumed that such a line would be used, and that a rod 
with backbone enough to handle it has been recommended. 
When the wind is asleep or fair, one line will answer al- 
most as well as another. But when it is in- opposition and 
chafes the current into waves, then is the time to try to 
beguile a forty-pounder; and unless the opportunity is to 
be ignored, a heavy line is indispensable. 

Salmon-lines, it is said, are now in preparation for the 
market, in which some twenty-five or thirty yards of both 
ends are of B size, while the intermediate connecting por- 
tion of seventy yards is to be two or three numbers thin- 
ner. They would seem to fill every requirement. They 
will have the weight to cast well, while a greater length 
of line can be cai*ried on an equal capacity of reel; and 
when the salmon makes a long run, the thinner portion of 
the immersed line will be less affected by the current than 
if the line were of uniform thickness throughout. 

LEADERS. 

The seat of two thirds of all the anguish and despair 
which checkers the bliss of the salmon-angler, lies here. 
Do what he will, the leader remains the weakest part of 
his outfit. Though adequate to resist every effort of the 



The Outfit — Leaders. 55 

largest salmon when backed by a good rod well handled, 
yet when a judicious fish takes a turn of the line around 
a rock or snag, and the rod is thus neutralized, it is this 
part that usually gives way and wrecks our hojDcs. 

No excellence of, or lavish expense bestowed on any 
other part of the tackle will make good a defect here. 
At best its strength is inferior to some of the exigencies 
of its use, and therefore the most assiduous care should 
be taken that it be not unnecessarily deficient in this 
respect. 

To accurately judge the quality of gut in the shop is as 
difficult as to accurately judge the quality of a horse in 
the jockey's stable. When the hank is opened, and each 
strand is drawn through the fingers and separately sub- 
mitted to inspection, then it is easier. 

The first requisite in selecting gut for salmon-fishing is 
roundness; the second is uniformity in diameter from end 
to end; third is thickness; the fourth is length; the fifth 
is elasticity or springiness when bent; and the sixth a 
uniform glassy transparency untinged with yellow. The 
order indicates the relative value of these characteristics. 
Perfect roundness is worth more than all the others put 
together — indeed its absence is a defect that no excess of 
other merit can make good. The color used to be a more 
reliable guide than it is now, when chemical have so 
largely superseded mechanical means in cleaning and 
bleaching the gut. 

No expert pretends to judge the quality of gut except 
with the aid of a strong light. 

The eye must be in constant training, and as keen to 
detect the slight variations of appearance as that of a 
dyer. Indeed there is no other article of which the 



56 The American Sahnon-fishevman. 

angler makes use, the quality of which it is so difficult to 
determine by mere inspection. Few dealers dare to rely 
altogether on their own unaided judgment, but habitually 
keep on hand samples of known quality, upon a compari- 
son with which they largely depend. 

Though the directions of the books for this purpose 
would lead one to suppose that the qualities desirable in 
gut were many, in reality they are but two — length and 
strength. The first may of course be decided at a glance. 
All the other points to which attention is recommended, 
are but symptoms from which the strength of the gut is 
to be diagnosed. 

Economy and prudence both require that every salmon- 
angler should make a hank of good gut part of his outfit. 
The upper two thirds of a leader will still be perfectly 
sound and reliable, when the lower third has become 
frayed and unsafe. If it is merely a question of replacing 
three or four feet of the outer end of a leader, it will 
probably be done when it should be done — that is, at the 
first indication that the strength of that part has become 
impaired. But the high first cost, and the limited num- 
ber usually in reserve, are apt to induce the angler to dis- 
card a leader with reluctance, and only after he can no 
longer coerce himself into believing it safe. 

Though I have not the most abiding confidence in the 
practical value of printed directions for this purpose, still 
I will do my best to aid in the selection of this hank of 
gut. We face the strongest attainable light, and hold 
the bundle of gut in front of us so that one end projects 
toward the light and the other toward us, each hand 
holding an end of the bundle. We now bring our hands 
toward one another, thus compelling the strands to sepa- 



The Outfit — Leaders. 57 

rate, and forcing the gut to bend upward in a curve some- 
thing less than a half -circle. In this position it will be 
noticed that a certain portion of the curve seems more 
highly illuminated than the rest. Holding the gut thus 
bent, we raise first one hand and then the other, so that 
this high light shall run slowly to and fro over the curved 
gut from end to end. During this operation round gut 
will present a uniform color, while " flats" will reflect the 
light unequally and seem to scintillate. The springiness 
of the gut will be determined at the same time. The 
length of the strands has also been ascertained by almost 
the first glance ; also that the gut has a glassy appearance, 
free from any yellow tinge. If we have a gauge of the 
form shown on page 70 of " Fly-Rods and Fly-Tackle," or 
any similar device for measuring the thickness of gut, we 
now use it. If we have not, we have at least provided 
ourselves with some old and well-tried leader to serve as 
a standard of comparison. We select the thickest gut 
we can find, but by no means forgetting that roundness 
is a sine qua non. We test a number of strands to be 
sure that the thickness is uniform from end to end. 
That gut should be conical instead of cylindrical, is a 
quite common and easily overlooked, and an absolutely 
fatal defect. It is not strong enough under conditions 
requiring gut of its larger diameter, while it is too obtru- 
sive to use where its thinner end would sufiice. It is dif- 
ficult to conceive of any circumstances under which it is 
available. 

But we have selected a hank of gut the thickness and 
length of the strands of which are satisfactory, while we 
believe that it has the strength its diameter would indi- 
cate. Still we but believe — we ought to know, So we 



58 The American Salmon-fisherinan. 

select three or four strands as nearly as possible of aver- 
age quality, soften them well in tepid water, tie a loop in 
each end, run a lead-pencil through one loop, hook a 
spring-balance into the other, and ascertain the breaking 
strain. It ought to be ten pounds or over, unless the 
break occurs at one of the knots. We may then soak 
that sti-and again and repeat the test. 

I am firmly of the opinion, and consequently strongly 
advise, that this form of test should be applied to every 
leader to be used in salmon-fishing. It is the only 
method by which the strength of a leader can be deter- 
mined. The most exj)ert may be deceived as to the 
strength of gut — or granting that the gut is unexception- 
able, still there may be one defective strand among the 
many of which the leader is composed, or one defective 
knot or place in some strand otherwise excellent. I insist 
that my single-gut salmon-leaders shall safely endure a 
strain of eight pounds applied with the spring-balance, 
and find no difficulty in procuring gut at a reasonable 
price that will produce such leaders. 

I am quite aware that some expert anglers think that a 
test so severe impairs the ultimate strength of the gut, 
and that it is therefore injudicious. ' This is either so, or 
it is not so. It is a matter to be determined not by 
theory but by experiment, and it is capable of being so 
determined. Now during the last ten years I have made 
hundreds of leaders for myself and friends, every one of 
which has been so tested. The strain imposed has of 
course been pro^^ortioned to the thickness of the gut and 
the use for which the leader was designed, but I do not 
think that any material variance in its proportionate se- 
verity has been made. It is my practice never to use a 



The Outfit — Leaders. 59 

leader which has been coiled up and allowed to dry, 
without repeating the original test. The terminal three 
or four feet of a leader I usually renew two or three 
times before the leader is thrown aside; and always, after 
such a renewal, I repeat the original test. Again, if I 
entertain the slightest doubt of the integrity of a leader 
during its use, I at once repeat the test. The claim that 
I do not speak at random in this matter seems to me, 
therefore, not unreasonable. I have yet to see or to hear 
of any occurrence in the use of these leaders, which would 
tend to cast the shadow of a doubt upon the propriety of 
the test. 

But again, if the test impairs the strength of the gut to 
an objectional degree, should not that fact appear in the 
course of so long continued a practice ? Should not a 
leader so tested show the impairment of its strength by 
breaking again and again, each time with a diminished 
strain ? Such has not been the fact. In testing a leader 
to eight pounds, it may break at three pounds on the 
first trial, at six on the second, seven on the next, and so 
on until a strain is reached within half a pound of which 
the leader will thereafter break every time. This is its 
ultimate strength. It may give way at half a pound or 
so on either side of this, as it is broken again and again, 
but the difference in amount is not material. 

I have dwelt at length on this because thoroughly im- 
pressed with its great importance. Times will come in 
the exjDerience of every salmon-fisherman when he must 
throw finesse to the winds, and make a direct issue be^ 
tween the strength of the fish and that of his tackle. It 
he has tested his leader he knows the extent of his re- 
sources, and, if defeat is the result, that it was inevitable. 



60 The Ainerioan Salinon-fislierman. 

No touch of remorse then embitters the misfortune. At 
times when the line fouls on some rock or snag, and a 
freshly fastened fish can put forth his strength against 
an unyielding resistance, no single leader can withstand 
the strain. But except under such or similar circum- 
stances, a leader which has borne a test of eight pounds 
will not be found at fault should the fish escape. 

" Of all sad words of tongue or pen, 

The saddest are these: It might have been!" 

These well-known lines apply with as much force to 
salmon-fishing as to any other j)hase of man's life. 

Some seek to avoid this result by the itse of braided or 
twisted leaders of many strands. I do not believe in it. 
The result should not be assured, or skill and promptness 
of resource are eliminated, and angling ceases to be sport 
in the jDroper sense of the term. It is like shooting at a 
sitting bird. But there is another consideration of equal 
moment. The young and foolish among fishes, as among 
men, are easily led astray by temptation. But the patri- 
archs — and these are the objects of the true angler's pur- 
suit — are more prone to look before they leap. 

Upon one occasion when a run of large fish were on 
the ground, I lost two fine fellows through the fouling of 
the line. In both cases the leader was broken. I was 
anxious to take a large fish the next day to ship to a 
friend in a distant city. That it should be done on that 
day was of importance, since otherwise it could not be 
sent through without lying over Sunday on the way;' 
while if I waited till the next week the large fish might 
have passed on up the river. An English gentleman of- 
fered me the use of a braided leader. I must do him the 



The Outfit — Leaders. 61 

justice to say he used but a single gut himself. Indeed 
he was a thorough angler of the best type, and one who, 
when he had overcome a fish, looked upon his ultimate 
capture or escape with a complacency closely approach- 
ing indifference. 

It was a very fair fishing day — overcast and with wind. 
Seven large salmon came to my fly on that day, but 
every one rose short, and not one could be coaxed up a 
second time. Early in the day this result — or rather lack 
of x-esult — was attributed to the obtrusiveness of the lead- 
er, but I stuck to it on principle expressly to test the 
question. This experience, it must be admitted, is rather 
brief to warrant any very decisive generalization. Still 
I formed the opinion then, and I hold it still, that this 
conduct of the fish was directly attributable to the char- 
acter of the leader. 

However this may be, it must be admitted that a good 
single leader is less conspicuous than one which is braided 
or twisted of many strands. Since, then, there is less to 
excite suspicion, while the temptation remains the same 
in either case, more fish should be coaxed to take the fly 
with a single than with a braided or twisted leader, — and, 
making due allowance for all the vicissitudes of fortune 
which attend this sport, I entertain no doubt that with 
equal skill, he that uses a single leader will at the end of 
two weeks' fishing score considerably more and larger 
fish than he who follows the other plan. 

To facilitate casting, it is usual and advisable to supple- 
ment the line with from four to six feet of braided or 
twisted gut, and to attach the single leader to that. If 
the fish are to be gaffed from the shore, the entire length 



63 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

of the compound leader from line to fly should be about 
one foot less than the distance from the tip of the rod to 
the reel. But if the gaffing is to proceed from the canoe, 
so that the distance between the angler and the gaffer is 
fixed and unchangeable, then this length should be ab- 
breviated by eighteen inches or so, in order that the fish 
may be more readily brought within reach. 

At the knots lies the weakest part of a leader, no matter 
how flaccid the gut may be made by soaking before they 
are tied. This results from that principle which we have 
all seen applied by salesmen in retail-shops. He makes up 
the goods sold into a package, binds it with twine, wraps 
the twine in a peculiar way about his left hand, and with 
a sharp jerk parts a cord with ease which could resist a 
direct strain that would cut his fingers to the bone. He 
makes one strand cut the other. Some of the leading 
anglers of England recommend that the leader be built 
up in the usual way with those sliding knots known as 
'^water-knots;" that the knots be brought together with- 
in an eighth of an inch ; and that then a whipping of silk 
be placed between them to act as a cushion. As usual, 
there are two sides to this question. After the applica- 
tion of the silk the knots are undoubtedly at least as 
strong as any other part of the leader. But the knots on 
a leader are already sufiiciently obtrusive, and this course 
renders them even more so. But whether the verdict be 
for or against this innovation, the plan of tying the lead- 
er in the usual manner, and then whipping the project- 
ing end of the knots down so that there is a whijjping on 
each side of the knots, — not between, — which one often 
sees on salmon-leaders in this country, serves no useful 



The Outfit — Leaders. 63 

purpose. It is a positive disadvantage, and an abomina- 
tion. 

In my former volume considerable space was given to 
the question which is the best color for leaders. The re- 
sults of many experiments to determine this question, ex- 
tending over some months, and the manner in which they 
were conducted, were detailed. Nothing has since oc- 
curred to change the opinions there expressed. Referring 
him who is curious to know the why and wherefore to 
that volume, a recapitulation of a few of the results so 
obtained may not be amiss. 

Take it at all times of the day and in all kinds of 
water, a leader which has been dyed with "Arnold's 
Writing Fluid " diluted with about half its bulk of water, 
will average as the least conspicuous. The tint should 
be light if the water to be fished is clear, but deeper 
if it is brown. Gut can thus be dyed without the aid 
of heat, and, for that or some other reason, its pi'istine 
strength does not seem to be impaired in the process. 
As any shade from almost black to the faintest tinge of 
greenish blue can be obtained by varying the propor- 
tions of ink and water, and the length of the exposure, 
it would seem unwise to resort to any dye that requires 
heat — such as the customary logwood and copperas, for 
example. 

When the sun is near the meridian of an unclouded 
day nothing is less conspicuous than uncolored gut. But 
in the morning and afternoon, and when the sky is over- 
cast, the ink-dye has the advantage. If apprised that 
the stream to be fished is clear, the depth of tint should 
not exceed that of the blue sky on an unclouded day. 



64 The American Salmon jisher man. 

Any leader will take salmon, more or less, as indeed I 
believe would be occasionally the case were the line bent 
directly to the fly. But I cannot doubt that he who best 
conceals the connection between himself and his fly will 
have the advantage both in number and size of fish 
taken, other things being equal. 



Outfit— The Gaff. 65 



CHAPTER IV. 

OUTFIT—THE GAFF. 

When preparing for ray first salmon-fishing expedition, 
an experienced friend sent me two tracings from gafi^s 
which he had used, recommending them as good in form 
aijd size. Having selected that which seemed to me 
most conformable to the laws of mechanics as applied to 
the problem, as I understood it, I ordered one made ac- 
cordingly. It was delivered. After stoning up the point 
until it was smooth and keen, it was placed among the 
other items of my outfit, erased from my list, and dis- 
missed from mind. ' 

At length the sun rose upon the long-wished-for day. 
At an early hour my Indians presented themselves, partly 
to report ready for duty, and partly to procure and fit a 
handle to my gaff. Tom, the name of the Indian who 
was to be my presiding genius, and who was generally 
admitted to be the most experienced and skilled in all 
that related to salmon-fishing of any guide in that region, 
when his eye lit upon the gaff I had so fondly thought 
was all that the most exacting could desire, changed 
countenance. Assuming an expression from which the 
ordinary observer might surmise that it tainted the very 
air he breathed, he took the gaff in his hands and 
said, "Humph! wire very thin — cut fish much." Then, 
grasping it by the point and shank, he straightened the 
5 



66 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

hook as though it were made of lead, and threw it down 
with " Humph ! dam gaff no good." 

Here was indeed a dilemma, and none the less embar- 
rassing because totally unanticipated. It needed no argu- 
ment or further demonstration to show he was right. It 
was self-evident. The proprietor of my temporary home 
was called into council to determine what was to be done. 
He at once kindly solved the problem by tendering the 
use of a gaff of his own. Its color, resembling that of 
the barrel of a musket of the last century, showed it to 
be a veteran, and its history, then briefly recounted, 
placed the number of salmon which had been its victims 
at a figure which I am afraid to repeat, lest I be thought 
credulous or guilty of exaggeration. 

As Tom examined the implement his clearing counte- 
nance sufficiently expressed his approval, and rendered 
his sententious " This gaff all right " unnecessary to relieve 
my anxiety. 

From the first time I ever took a fly-rod in my hands 
until the present day, it has always been my practice to 
pump men of this character until the well of their ex- 
perience and information fairly sucks dry. Xo allegiance 
to any pet theory obscures their prompt perception of 
facts. Hard facts, and these alone, appeal to their com- 
prehension, alone govern their opinions, and guide their 
conduct. Their low average of intelligence as compared 
with that of their employers, and their scanty information 
of other and outside matters, are apt to induce an under- 
estimate of their judgment and ability within the com- 
paratively narrow scope of their specialty. It should not 
be forgotten that the power of observation of these men 
is not only hereditary, but is trained from their earliest 



Outfit— The Gaff. 67 

childhood ; while being in close contact with the fish year 
after year from the beginning to the end of the season, 
in every possible variety of weather, stage of water, and 
other circumstances, and with almost every conceivable 
method of fly-fishing, and almost every conceivable grade 
of angler constantly before their eyes, their opportunities 
for observation far exceed those possible to any one who 
does not make salmon-fishing the sole business of life. 

I cannot but think that he who, without intimating his 
own opinion, will by a system of judicious questions rub 
his pet theories against the touchstone of these men's 
great and varied experience, will find the practice of 
value. Fly-fishing is a practical art, and lies quite with- 
out the sphere of metaphysics. A theory thus confirmed 
may be relied ujDon with redoubled confidence ; but if 
contradicted, a careful review of the premises from which 
it is deduced will certainly not be amiss. Are we not as a 
class somewhat prone to generalize from a rather meagre 
array of facts ? If so, any check which will tend to verify 
a conclusion must be of value. 

Through the five weeks during which Tom presided 
over my fortunes with the salmon, the pump was kept in 
constant operation. He read me some dozen lectures on 
the subject of gaffs, always winding up by reference to, 
and praise of, the veteran instrument we had borrowed. 

If skill in the use of a tool makes a man a reliable critic 
of what that tool should be, then Tom's voice on the sub- 
ject of gaffs was as the voice of one clothed with author- 
ity. During all that time there was never one single 
false motion, or one single mishap. He never moved till 
the time was opportune, and then, whether in mid-river 
he plunged the gaff beneath the water till but a foot or 



68 The Amei'ican Salmon fisherman. 

two of its handle was above the surface, or whether he 
assayed the fish from the bank, it was all one. Almost 
before it was possible to realize it the crisis was over, and 
his assistant was teaching the salmon resignation by the 
vigorous application of a club or stone to its head. 

At last I came to think this gaff was " big medicine," 
and that as long as we had it everything would be lovely. 
I coveted my neighbor's goods. 

The sun sank behind the western hills as calmly regard- 
less of the fact that it thus closed our salmon-fishing for 
that year, as the sun is apt to be of human affairs. It was 
Saturday evening, when fishing is forbidden from six 
o'clock until Monday morning. I had one nice fish of 
twenty-eight pounds in the canoe, and had raised a perfect 
whale to my fly. While in the midst of tendering to him 
in orderly succession sample after sample from my varied 
stock of wiles, the voice of one of the river guardians, 
who had been watching the proceedings from the bank 
with friendly interest, suggested that the time was up. I 
reeled in, seeking consolation in the thought that self- 
denial was a virtue, and that virtue was its own reward. It 
seemed to me the reward was rather meagre. How will- 
ingly would I have assigned, transferred, and set over all 
my right, title, and interest in and to the said reward, to 
any one for another offer from that splendid fish. But 
the eye of the minion of the law was uj)on me, and I re- 
membered that it is recommended, "Affect a virtue if you 
have it not." So, turning our backs upon the scene, we 
poled up the river with heavy hearts. 

We approached the house under the eye of our landlord, 
Tom lugging the heavy fish upon his shoulder. It was a 
beauty, and after the usual inspection and comments, Tom 



Outfit— The Gaff. 69 

carried it off to the ice-house. I was too obtuse to undei"- 
stand a mild suggestion from my host, that if I varied my 
usual practice of giving my fish to the Indians by turning 
this one over to him, he would find it very useful. 

A hint to the wise and the wily is sufficient. As soon 
as his back was turned I cut the lashings that bound the 
gaff to its staff, and hid it in the bottom of my trunk. Hav- 
ing thus nine points of the law in my favor, I approached 
the owner of the gaff in pursuit of the lacking tenth, with 
that placid smile and bland demeanor which usually veil 
duplicity. As I expected, another mild intimation that 
the salmon would be useful was soon offered. But I was 
very doubtful what I should do with that salmon. Then 
I changed the subject to the gaff — where it was made and 
whom by, and could one like it be had, and at what cost. 
No sooner did he name the price than I pushed the money 
into his astonished hand, told him to go and have one 
made, and that the salmon he desired should be his for 
the trouble; that as a good citizen my duty to my fellow- 
countrymen forbade me to allow a gaff so perfect in every 
respect to leave my possession; that it was buried in my 
trunk, and that there it should remain until I arrived in 
New York. 

When I consider the matter in the abstract, I am forced 
to admit it was rather a shabby return for his kindness. 
But when I look upon it in the concrete — on the gaff it- 
self as it now lies before me — my scruples vanish, and I 
regard it with the utmost complacency. At all events, if 
its acquisition was a wrong, that wrong is mine, and the 
reader in partaking of its benefits need assume no moral 
responsibility therefor. 

Should I say I had never seen a really good gaff in a 



70 



The Ainerican Salmon-fisherman. 



fishing-tackle store the statement would not be far wide 
of the truth. It is but another example of how difficult 
it is to induce a mechanic properly to make any article 

the use of which he does 
not understand. A paper 
tracing giving the size and 
curve is quite insufficient to 
guarantee the result, as the 
experience already given 
proves. Some little par- 
ticularity in describing this 
indispensable part of our 
outfit Avill therefore not be 
amiss. 

The point should be keen 
and conical, running in the 
, length of one inch, by a 
tajDer bounded by straight 
lines, from nothing to 
about three sixteenths of 
an inch diameter. Frjm 
thence the thickness should 
gradually increase to where 
the hook merges into the 
shank, where it should at- 
tain a thickness of three 
eighths of an inch. The 

Fig. 6.-The Veteran Gaff. ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^, 

more inches long, the upper six or eight inches of 
which should be flattened out to a width of about half 
an inch, and should terminate in a spur, like a short 
thick nail, since it is to "serve the same purpose. This 




Outfit— The Gaff. 71 

spur projects at a right angle from the flattened portion in 
a direction away from the point, and should be about half 
an inch long. The gaff should be of steel and brought 
to a spring temper, and be of sufficient stiffness to resist 
a pretty strong effort to open the curve. It is important 
that the depth of the hook should exceed its greatest 
width by at least one quarter of an inch. Next to over- 
thin or clumsily thick wire, this lack of depth on the 
point-side of the gaff is one of the most common, as it is 
one of the most serious, of faults. 

The measurements of the " veteran" gaff, of which the 
preceding figure is a poi'trait, are as follows : From bot- 
tom of hook to spur on end of shank, measured on a 
straight line and not around the curve, twelve inches. 
Width of hook opposite point, two and three quarter 
inches; width of hook at widest portion, three and one 
quarter inches; depth of hook, measured from a line 
drawn straight across from the point to the shank, three 
and nine sixteenths inches. All these measurements relate 
to the inner, not to the outer margin of the curve of the 
hook. The point-side is perfectly straight, the increased 
width of the hook resulting from an outward curve of 
the shank-side. Were I to change this gaff in any way, it 
Avould be by adding a quarter of an inch to the length 
of the point-side, thus making the depth of the hook 
three and thirteen sixteenths inches. 

A gaff" of these dimensions I recommend to the reader 
as equally adapted to secure a grilse of six, or a salmon of 
foi'ty pounds. A smaller gaff may be found inadequate, 
a larger one is unnecessary. Thus armed, the angler can- 
not go amiss. 

That there may be no mistake in reference to this es- 



72 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

sential part of our outfit, and since our dealers in fishing- 
tackle seem to understand its requisites so imperfectly, I 
will so far recapitulate as to formulate rules for its selec- 
tion or manufacture, their order indicating their relative 
importance in my judgment. 

1st. The hook must be stiff enough to withstand a quite 
forcible effort to straighten it — otherwise the gaff is per- 
fectly worthless. 

2d. The depth of the point-side must exceed the width 
of the hook at its widest point, measuring inside the 
curve, by at least one quarter, better still by three eighths, 
of an inch. 

3d. The wire must not be so thin as to cut the fish 
much in lifting it from the water; it should not be so 
thick as to be clumsy. 

4th. The point should be long, keen, and conical. 

5th. The gaff should be neither polished nor nickel- 
plated. 

6th. It should be constructed to lash upon an impro- 
vised handle, rather than to be screwed into a staff to be 
carried with it. 

7th. The point-side of the gaff should be straight. 

This form of gaff is as much better than one which 
screws into a handle, as it is more convenient. The 
angler carries with him nothing but the steel. When he 
arrives on the fishing-ground, his gaffer cuts a handle of 
such length and weight as his experience and physical 
peculiarities lead him to prefer. He flattens off one side 
of one end of this, makes a hole for or drives in the spur 
to prevent the gaff from slipping, and binds it fast to the 
handle with twine. When the fishing is over, the twine 
is cut, the steel removed, and the handle thrown away. 



Outfit— The Gaff. 73 

With this arrangement the point is on one side of the 
shank of the gaff, while the handle rests upon the opposite 
side. Thus the whole width of the gaff is available, and 
there is less danger of touching the fish with the staff 
when placing the gaff in position for use. 

It is usual to make the point-side of the gaff flare away 
from the shank, on the theory that when the staff is in 
the usual position, the point will l>e nearly horizontal and 
thus pass directly through the fish. This seems to me a 
mistake. The less the direction of the point departs from 
the direction of the force applied to drive it home, the 
more easily and more surely it will penetrate. The mar- 
gin that intervenes between a saved fish and a lost fish, is 
often very small. As long as the gaff enters on one side 
and emerges on the other, embracing the backbone of the 
fish in its course, whether the two wounds are mathemati- 
cally equidistant from the upper or lower margin of the 
fish, would seem quite immaterial. If the gaff is sufiici- 
ently wide across the bend, there is not the slightest need 
to set the point outward. It serves no useful purpose, 
while it does make the blow oblique, rather than direct 
as it should be. 

Again: for the same reason that you would not use a 
bright-scarlet landing-net for trout, do not use a polished 
or nickel-plated gaff. The best course is first to rust the 
steel thoroughly with vinegar and salt, then to dry it and 
smear it well with oil. After allowing the oil to soften 
the rust for twenty-four hours, rub it as clean as possible 
with a rag. This gives the steel the brown color of a 
gun-barrel, which is as good a color as it can have. 

Nothing makes a better gaff than a tooth from a spring- 
toothed horse-rake. The taper and size of the wire are 



74 The American Salmoii-fisherman. 

just about riglit for the purpose, and if carefully bent 
and carefully tempered to a sj^ring-temper afterward, it 
will quite " fill the bill." They may be had from almost 
any manufacturer of agricultural implements. 

Perhaps the aspiring trout-fisherman — for whose bene- 
fit, and not for that of the experienced salmon-angler, I 
am writing — will better understand the essential features 
of the gaff, if what has already been said be supplemented 
with some account of its use. 

The gaff may be used from a canoe or from the bank. 
After the enterprise of a salmon has become somewhat 
subdued by the violence and duration of its efforts to 
escape, if it finds itself in deep quiet water it seems to 
become somewhat reassured. It may then permit the 
angler to recover line until the canoe is almost over it, 
seeming at times almost to regard the shadow of the 
canoe as a harbor of refuge. The angler of course en- 
deavors to keep the fish as near the surface as possible. 
Thus a compromise may result, the salmon being not in- 
deed on the surface, but yet not so deejD but that it may 
be seen. Should it then afford the opportunity, the gaf- 
fer may quietly sink his gaff under the fish, and with a 
quick upward movement impale it and drag it into the 
canoe. If the operation is so sudden and unexpected that 
the salmon cannot protest while in the water, it loses no 
instant of time after it has touched the bottom of the 
canoe. It is necessai'ily deposited in the somewhat re- 
stricted interval across which the gaffer and angler face 
oVie another. The salmon, apparently galvanized into 
preternatural activity, performs like a cat on a stove. 
The gaffer hangs to his gaff, still imbedded in the salmon, 
with one hand, while with the other he endeavors to 



Outfit — The Gaff. 75 

secure a hold on the slippery fish hy which he can suffi- 
ciently control its movements to drop the gaff and resort 
to the club; the blood flies in every direction from tlie 
wounds of the gaff, and generally there, is what the vul- 
gar might call " a regular circus." If it is a fair-sized 
fish, say of twenty pounds or over, this performance will 
last long after the angler wishes it were finished. It is a 
brutal piece of business, and after it is done and peace 
reigns once more, that end of the canoe looks like a 
slaughter-house. 

If my humanity were a little greater or my cupidity a 
little less, I would never permit a fish of any size to be 
gaffed into a canoe. As it is, though I vow I never will, 
still when the moment comes when resolve should pass 
into action, since confession is good for the soul, I may 
confess that I prove recreant to my vow. 

Not only is the proceeding more in keeping with a 
Spanish bull -fight than the gentle spirit of angling, but 
it is dangerous as well— mainly dangerous in that unless 
everything goes just right the fish will be lost, but still 
somewhat dangerous in that during the struggle the canoe 
may decline to be a party thereto, and discard its occu- 
pants into the water. Salmon-streams are uncommonly 
thin and wet, and he who plunges therein will find no 
just cause to growl at his bath because it is overheated. 

The Mic-mac type of birch-bark canoe — that used on 
many salmon-streams — is a three-man canoe, in which one 
with a fair knack of balance can readily cast standing, as 
indeed many do. But it is no place for a Greco-Roman 
wrestling-match. 

It is quite aggravating to be spilled out of any form of 
boat; but to so part company with a "birch," as it is 



76 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

usually called " for short," is peculiarly so. A boat under 
such circumstances usually remains bottom up, thus seem- 
ing to share the misfortune of the shipwreck, and to 
sympathize with its unhappy passengers, ^ot so a birch. 
Without a jDremonitory symptom of impatience, and 
quicker than a wink, it will vanish beneath its occupant 
and leave him struggling in the water. And when he 
rises to the surface and gives his first snort of surprise and 
disgust, there it will stand just about where it was left, 
floating as jauntily as a bubble, and with hardly a teacup- 
ful of water in it — seeming to say as plainly as though 
its attitude were embodied in speech, " What ! you don't 
mean to say that that was my fault, do you ?" 

With a boat, too, you can, ordinarily at least, find a 
diy spot on its bottom — perhaps even right it and climb 
in. But a birch, when it has once spilled its cargo, passes 
from the placid demureness of a cat into the friskiness of 
a kitten. Touch it, and it squirms and sidles off like a 
country-girl at a merry-making when some gallant tries 
to put his arm around her waist. It does not squeal, it is 
true; but it acts just as skittishly as if it did. Of all the 
floating constructions of man, to none is the application 
of the feminine personal pronoun more appropriate. 

But after all a birch has its good points, and a good 
many of them; and, take it all in all, is to be preferred for 
salmon-fishing to any other form of boat I have ever seen. 
It is a little ticklish about the upper part of the ribs. But 
keep your hands off that part, observe due decorum, and 
take no liberties, and it will carry you as safely as a rock- 
ing-chair. It can be handled by two men like a top, and 
will back and fill, and turn and twist to face the vagaries 
of a fighting salmon, as though endowed with volition 



Outfit— The Gaff. ri 

and as much intei'esteci in the result of the contest as the 
angler himself. Moreover, it is as tight as a bottle; or if 
not, can be made so with a pitch-plaster with certainty 
and dispatch. 

As a small boy can always find room for just one more 
piece of pie, so a salmon can always summon energy for 
another run. It is really wonderful what reserved powers 
an apparently spent fish will sometimes evince, when 
stimulated by the approach of the gaff, or by a maladroit 
aj)plication of its point to his ribs. When the gaffer lays 
aside his paddle for the gaff, half the adaptability of the 
canoe is gone, since it is controlled by his assistant alone. 
Should he then miss his stroke from any cause and the 
fish start for the next county by diving under the canoe, 
as it is prone to do, it is apt to be a case of good-by. 

For these reasons it is advisable to gaff from the bank 
when possible. As any ordinarily well-conducted river 
has usually an abundance of that article on either side, it 
might seera that this was everywhere possible. By no 
means. Not every bank will serve the purpose. It must 
be one sufficiently unobstructed to permit the angler to 
follow the fish down stream in case of necessity — and it 
usually is necessary. The water near the shore must not 
be too deep, nor must the current be rapid, nor, again, 
must it be too shallow to float the fish. But, above all 
things, it must be reasonably free from that hete noire 
of the angler — snags and similar obstructions which can 
foul the line or leader. Such landing-placies as will serve, 
therefore, become jDerforce well known on every river. 
They may be a quarter, a half, or even a mile or more apart. 
They may be on one side of the river or on the other, or 
alternate in any conceivable order. 



78 The American Salmon-jislierman. 

When the fish has been brought to the proper stage of 
docility, the next problem is to work it down to one of 
these landing-places. It cannot be worked up stream by 
any possibility, unless it contributes thereto by its own 
folly. A landing-place once passed, though but by 
twenty-five feet, is passed for good, as far as that fish is 
concerned. Having at length happily arrived at a suit- 
able place, the canoe is brought to the bank, and all dis- 
embark. Then the angler tries to coax the fish within 
reach. He governs the amount of the strain with the 
most carefiil discrimination, yielding to the slightest ex- 
cess, and taking line upon its slightest diminution. It is 
a long, and oftentimes a laborious process, every phase of 
Avhich the angler must watch with unflagging attention, 
and with all his wits about him, if ultimate success is to 
crown his efforts. As the fish swings in to the bank, the 
gaffer places himself opposite, and a little below where 
he exj)ects it will arrive, motionless as though cast in 
bronze. The assistant skips round to find a suitable 
stone. At last the fish is near enough. The gaffer 
quietly reaches over its back till the point of the gaff is 
opposite its more distant side in the vicinity of the back 
fin, and then suddenly retracts the gaff, driving it 
through the fish belov/ the backbone, and without ar- 
resting the motion, drags it on to the shore. The assist- 
ant then plies the stone, and the tragedy is over. 
: The foregoing is merely intended to give an idea of 
the process, not to furnish specific directions for its ac- 
complishment. Until long after the angler is beyond the 
aid of printed instructions, he would do well to leave this 
delicate operation to his skilled attendant. 



Outfit — Clothing. 79 



CLOTHIlSrG. 

This is a most important part of our outfit. The 
American must remember that the salmon-rivers of the 
Atlantic seaboard lie in the direction of the North Pole, 
While in the direct rays of the sun it may be even shirt- 
sleeve weather; in the wshade, and especially in the morn- 
ing and evening, an overcoat will not be oppressive. The 
angler, therefore, should clothe himself like an onion, and 
be prepared to, peel layer after layer as the day ad- 
vances, and resume them in due order as the day de- 
clines. Especially is this true when the fishing is from a 
boat. A boat to him who takes no part in its manage- 
ment, is about twenty-five degrees colder than any other 
known place in the same latitude. Good heavy winter 
underclothes, a flannel shirt, and winter trousers should 
form the foundation, and upon these should be reared such 
a superstructure of cardigan-jackets, dog-skin coats, and 
overcoats, as the exigencies of the occasion may require. 

Be comfortable, and take whatever it is thought will 
conduce to this end. As long as your own back is not of 
necessity the means of transportation, in the matter of 
clothing, at all events, take all that you may need. 
Roughing it is all very nice for the young and inexperi- 
enced to talk of when cushioned in an easy-chair before 
a cheerful fire; but after a somewhat extended personal 
experience on my own account, and a wide observation of 
others, I have yet to see the person whose appetite was 
not more than satiated at the very first taste of the real 
article. A salmon-fishing expedition should be for pleas- 
ure, not penance. 

A cheap felt-hat of a gray color should protect the 



80 The American Sahnon-fisliervian. 

head. It should be thick enough to laugh at the rain, 
wide-brimmed that it may drip elsewhere than down the 
back of its wearer's neck, and soft so that he may adjust 
it at any angle that the driving storm or the rays of the 
sun may require. Stiff hats are a nuisance. If such that 
they may be worn without embarrassment in every-day 
life or when travelling, they are ill adapted for fishing; 
while if adapted for fishing, he would indeed be a bold 
man who would be willing to wear one except when fish- 
ing. They are most inconvenient to pack in a trunk 
both from their size and shape, and though brand-new 
when they enter, will look when they emerge as if they 
had been through a free fight. 

A good rubber-coat is a necessity. The rubber-coat is 
often misunderstood, and therefore maligned. We have 
all seen the moisture condense from the atmosphere on 
the outside of an ice-pitcher. The same process takes 
place inside a rubber-coat. The rain cools the coat, and 
condenses the insensible perspiration from the body upon 
its interior. Thus a coat is abused as leaky which is 
really as tight as the ice-pitcher itself. The best rubber- 
coat ever made will show a wet inside under these cir- 
cumstances. Coats of this description may, however, 
now be had in which this annoyance is met with either 
in a diminished degree, or not at all. This is accom- 
plished by perforating the shoulders and upper jDart of 
the arms, and providing the coat with a short cape to 
exclude the water from the openings. The air is then 
no longer confined within the coat, the motion of the 
arms and body, theoretically at least, keeping up a con- 
stant circulation, and expelling the warm air before its 
moisture has time to condense. 



Outfit — Clothing. 81 

Some means must also be provided to protect the legs 
if the fishing is from a boat. A rubber-petticoat, reach- 
ing. to within four or five inches of the ground, is alto- 
gether the best device for this purpose, since it prevents 
the wearer from discomfort should a puddle form on his 
seat, as it is apt to do, and also because it is well venti- 
lated, and easy to assume and discard. The rubber-coat 
should then be short. Still rubber pantaloons, or even a 
rubber-blanket, will answer very well. But some such pro- 
tection is necessary, for no salmon-fisherman remains in- 
doors because of rain when the fish may rise. Rubber- 
boots, which may well be of the ventilated variety, are 
also advisable. When venturing into the rain, if the 
sleeves of the rubber-coat are not provided with straps 
for the purpose, — as they should be, — fold each sleeve 
tight around the wrist, and tie them thus with a jjiece 
of twine. A rain-gauge, even though formed of the sleeve 
of a rubber-coat, is superfluous in salmon-fishing. 

If wading is necessary, mackintosh-waders coming well 
up under the arms are advisable. The water will be 
found too cold to wade day after day with comfort or 
impunity, unless so protected. Those ending in stocking- 
feet are the best. With this caution, every trout-fisher- 
man will understand this matter without further dilation. 

Every one has heard of the black-fly. Those who have 
not had the pleasure of its personal acquaintance and who 
judge solely from the fame of its exploits, imagine some- 
thing about the size of a turkey-buzzard, and armed with a 
proboscis like the sword of a Roman gladiator. This is a 
mistake. It is a most insignificant-looking little gentle- 
man, considerably less than a quarter of an inch long. But 



82 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

if its appearance does Bot inspire respect, its action speed- 
ily will. It has a cousin, a most diminutive creature, 
hardly larger than the head of a pin, and so colorless as 
to be almost invisible. It also is a hero, and that of no 
mean sort. To his honor the mosquito none of us need 
an introduction. He stands on no ceremony, introducing 
himself on sight, oblivious to insult and rebuff. 

Were it not for these drawbacks, salmon-fishing would 
be altogether too good fun for mere mortals. They are 
to be found in greater or less quantity on every salmon- 
river during the fishing season — almost absent where the 
banks are settled and cleared, becoming more and more 
abundant as the wilderness is penetrated. 

The black-fly performs by daylight alone. ISTot until 
the sun is well up does he venture out on his daily avoca- 
tions, and before the cool of the evening he returns home 
again in a most virtuous fashion. 

His little cousin, on the other hand, has its business- 
hours in the early morning and the gloom of the twilight, 
though if the day be warm, damp, and gloomy — " muggy" 
weather in short, — he may be on hand all day long. It 
shuns the bright sun, for its deeds are deeds of darkness. 

Both abominate the wind and vanish before it, but their 
weather-eye is always open, and no lull, however brief, is 
allowed to pass unimproved. 

Should an unprepared unfortunate chance upon them 
when in force, though he have the hide of a rhinoceros, 
and the enthusiasm of Father Walton himself raised to 
the twenty-fourth power, neither will avail him anything. 
He will be subject to attacks so pertinacious and unen- 
durable, that the necessity of self-preserva,tion will speedi- 
ly banish all thought of fishing. 



Outfit — Clothing. 83 

Tlie black-fly views its victim with an eye which shows 
a thorough knowledge of its business, and selects his 
tender points with the very nicest discrimination. Be- 
hind the ears, upon the eyelids, and on the forehead are 
its favorite feeding-grounds, and for the possession of 
these it will do and dare anything. 

The little fellow is more miscellaneous in its views, 
but it is by no means the more lovable on that account. 

Both bear down on their prey in numbers like the 
hordes of Ghengis Khan — as the sands of the sea-shore in 
raultitude. The slaughter of a few thousand more or less, 
if a matter of the least moment, is but an occasion for 
self -congratulation to the survivors in that it gives them 
a better chance. Let no man in the vicious pride of his 
youth and strength fancy that he can defy their attack, 
for they will rout him at last, horse, foot, and artillery, 
just as surely as they meet him. A thin skirmish-line 
he may be able to encounter though with discomfort, but 
a serious attack in force is beyond human endurance. 

It is true different people suffer in different degrees. 
On some the black-fly will bring blood at every prod; on 
some each bite raises a swelling like a miniature volcano; 
others experience an intolerable itching; while others suf- 
fer all these, or any part of them, combined. 

The bite of the little fellow is more uniform in result. 
It is followed by a burning itch, which makes one wish 
he could stretch his skin out on some barn-door, and go 
for it with a curry-comb. 

Therefore, if the answer to the interrogatories set forth 
in Chapter I. discloses that these pests are to be met 
with, though neither abundant nor very troublesome, 
prepare for the very worst. You may be sure their prev- 



84 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

alence will not he exaggerated " the fortieth part of one 
poor scruple;" and if disappointed, and your precautions 
are thrown away, it is certainly a most agreeable disap- 
pointment, over which few tears need be shed. 

Head-nets, to go over the hat and tuck in under the 
shirt-collar, are to me almost as intolerable as the insects 
themselves. Everything looks blurred, there is an intol- 
erable sense of suffocation, and smoking is impossible. 
The following will be found equally efficient, and de- 
cidedly more agreeable: 

Sew around the lining on the inside of the hat, a curtain 
of cotton or linen cloth about ten or twelve inches deep. 
Cut a hole in the front of the bottomless sack thus formed, 
so that the face will be exposed from the eyebrow to the 
chin. Put on the hat, adjust the curtain so that all of the 
head but the face is covered, tuck the lower edge of the 
curtain well down under the shirt all around the neck, 
and tie a handkerchief around the shirt-collar. The 
flanks and rear are now protected, and the front alone is 
exposed. Or, should this have been neglected, a defence 
may be improvised in the following manner, though it is 
neither as perfect a protection nor as comfortable to the 
wearer: Hold up a large handkerchief by the corners, so 
that the upper edge is horizontal. Knot the corners 
which are held together. Place the bag so formed upon 
the head so that the knots come over the forehead. Put 
on the hat, tuck the hanging part under the shirt, and tie 
around the shirt-collar as before. 

For the hands, provide a pair of old kid-gloves two or 
three sizes too large, and cut off the fingers. Sew linen 
gauntlets to these reaching well up toward the elbow, the 
margin of each of which is pi-ovided with an elastic cord 



Outfit — Clothing. 85 

short enough to pucker the mouth well together. Pull 
on these gloves, and draw the gauntlets well up over the 
coat-sleeve. Be sure that no open place — such as that 
usual on the lower part of the palm of a kid-glove — is 
left. The cloth must cover every orifice, or the pests will 
enter the opening in a procession, and roam at pleasure, 
wreaking their wicked will upon their victim, utterly un- 
dismayed by his array of armor. Kid-gloves are advised 
because they are sting-proof. If the fingers are cut ofi^ 
no inconvenience in using the hands will be experienced. 
They need not become wet, since all these creatures know 
enough to go in when it rains. But the finger-tips and 
the face remain to be protected. 

The soothing pipe will here add another to the long 
list of blessings which it bestows on mankind. But it 
merits and should receive its stated periods of repose. 
We should not crowd a really good thing too hard. 

Therefore cause this lotion to be prepared, recom- 
mended to me as really sovereign by one who had annu- 
ally faced the foe on the salmon-rivers of Canada for 
nearly forty years: 

Olive-oil i pint. 

Creosote 1 ounce. 

Pennyroyal 1 ounce. 

Camphor 1 ounce. 

Dissolve the camphor in alcohol, and mix. 

This will be suflacient in quantity for a party of four. 
The bottle which contains it may find place in the grand 
depot of supplies. For daily use in the field, each should 
be provided with an oval ounce-bottleful, to be carried 
in the pocket at all times, ready for any and every emer- 



86 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

gency. When exposed to attack, the cork is removed 
from time to time, and a little of the contents of the bot- 
tle is smeared on the face with the fingers. The face 
need not be covered. A little here and there will suffice. 
Indeed, if the flies are not very numerous and aggressive, 
it will be enough to anoint the cloth near the face. 
Though not what a particular man would select as a 
perfume, still it is not disagreeable — certainly not when 
compared with fly-bites. It is a cleanly fluid, does not 
discolor or disorder the skin, and is readily removable 
by the ordinary process of washing. 

The generic name for mixtures of this kind — at least 
throughout the wilderness which inteiwenes between the 
settlements of Maine and Canada — is " bug-juice." Hu- 
man life is thought to be too short by the ranger of the 
wild-woods, and the articulations of his jaws are too in- 
flexible for the terms " insect-repellant," " culexif uge," 
and the many other appellations in vogue in the settle- 
ments. 

Many stories, duly equipped with a moral, come to us 
from a life destined soon to become historical only. 

Many of my readers have perhajis heard the following: 

A Western ranger, festooned with pistols and bowie- 
knives like an Algerine corsair, — at least like the Alge- 
rine corsair of the picture-books, — when asked what in 

he wanted to ballast himself that way for with such 

a lot of old iron, replied that though a nuisance to carry, 
and though he wanted them but seldom, yet " when he 
did want them he wanted them mighty bad ; that it was 
better to be fixed." 

We may with profit apply this moral to a mosquito- 



Outfit — Clothing. 87 

net. Mosquitoes are more or less abundant on every 
salmon-river. Though primarily a night-bird, they are 
ready for business at almost any time, giving themselves 
but little ground for self-reproach because of neglected 
opportunities. When the sun shines warm and bright, 
or vrhen the nights are clear and cold, they retire into 
privacy to think over their sins. At all other times they 
go about like a roaring lion, seeking whom they may de- 
vour. 

During the day-time the angler who conforms his prac- 
tice to the preceding precepts may laugh at them. But 
to sit up all night to apply "bug-juice" at stated inter- 
vals, or to spend the hours which should be devoted to 
repose either in active hostilities or in weeping amid the 
fumes of a smudge, will be found very inconvenient — far 
more so than to carry the insignificant bulk and weight 
of an unnecessary mosquito-net. It may not be needed, 
but if wanted it will be "wanted mighty bad." It is 
"better to be fixed." 

Select a fabric of the finest mesh, and have it made up 
as follows. Do not rely on a mere sheet. The mosquito 
of the wilderness is a persevering rascal, by no means 
easily discouraged. When its path is barred, it will 
prospect for a passage all the night long with the perse- 
verance of a gold-hunter. And should it find entrance, 
it will raise a hullabaloo of triumph that will banish sleep 
as effectually as would a ducking in a mill-pond. 

The mosquito-net should be fashioned on the model of a 
box with the bottom up. It should be two feet wide, and 
anywhere from three to six feet long. The sides should 
be three to four feet deep. Where the sides join that 
part which corresponds to the bottom of the typical box, 



88 TJie AmeriGan Salmon-fisherman. 

the seam should be reinforced by an inch-wide tape run- 
ning entirely around the structure. At each of the four 
corners a brass ring should be securely sewn to the tape, 
and the net is suspended by strings fastened to these 
rings. The line of the angler will indeed have fallen in 
unpleasant places if he cannot at least find four sticks to 
which these strings may be attached. 

This insect problem is a serious one. Sooner or later 
it will be forced on the attention of the salmon-angler. 
If he prepares for it at home, he may face the issue with- 
out apprehension, and will experience little or no discom- 
fort. If he neglects to do so, he will pay dearly for his 
temerity. There are, it is true, some wide rivers, the 
banks of which above tide-water are well cleared and 
cultivated, where this annoyance is comparatively insig- 
nificant, and where no precaution is required. But, like 
the rivers of Paradise, they are few in number. Comfort 
in life is made up of little things. We can all bear a 
sudden pang if it be but momentary, with comjDarative 
equanimity. But relentless persecution, though no single 
moment in itself be so very severe, is quite another mat- 
ter. No man can fight flies, and fight salmon at the same 
time. Grave as the situation may be to him who is un- 
prepared, there is nothing in the presence of flies in any 
possible abundance to deter the angler from salmon-fish- 
ing. The fear of hunger might also^nd as well, cause 
him to linger at his own fireside. EiSi^r may be pro- 
vided against, and, timely precaution having been taken, 
he may go on his way fearing nothing from either. 



Flies and Hooks. 



CHAPTER r. 

FLIES AND HOOKS. 
PLIES. 

He who seeks to inform himself from books which are 
the best flies for salmon-fishing, will hardly fail to find 
food for serious thought on the value of human testimony. 

He will encounter almost as many opinions as there are 
books treating on the subject, many of them as utterly 
irreconcilable one with another as a tom-cat and a terrier. 

Perhaps the first advises a difiterent fly for every change 
of water, sky, or locality. No sooner has the reader 
reconciled himself to buying at least a quart of flies, than 
he finds another insisting that three vai-ieties are all-sufii- 
cient under all circumstances and conditions. He is natu- 
rally, if unprepared, somewhat astonished. The question 
seems to lie not within the realm of metaphysics, in which 
difl^erence of opinion is almost a matter of course, but to re- 
late to mere records of, and deductions from, actual physi- 
cal experiment. He seeks corroborative testimony, and 
merely sinks deeper in the mire of uncertainty. He finds 
some advocating gaudy flies, and others repudiating all 
but those of sombre hue ; some insisting on the use of 
light and bright flies in dark weather and heavy water, 
and others claiming that this practice is all wrong and 
that the true method is exactly the reverse, and so on. 

What is the matter ? These gentlemen are all men of 



90 Tlie American Salmon-fisJierman. 

experience, and are speaking from experience, yet though 
unquestionably truthful, they are at complete variance 
with one another. 

That there is reason for it all, I cannot doubt. To at- 
tribute the conduct of the salmon in this respect to mere 
caprice is not satisfactory to my mind. Caprice is an 
individual trait. A characteristic common to an entire 
species must rest on some more substantial basis. Ca- 
price, too, is a characteristic of the higher, not of the 
lovi^er orders of life. Man builds in every conceivable 
way, but every bee makes every cell hexagonal. 

The mental range of a fish is of the most limited de- 
scription. If more than four impulses — physical com- 
fort, self-preservation, hunger, and the desire to repro- 
duce — govern their conduct, I have yet to hear it sug- 
gested. Under precisely similar circumstances and con- 
ditions, one man may stay at home and another go a-fish- 
ing. But when we descend the scale of the animal king- 
dom to the low nervous development and narrow life of 
a fish, mental action of so high an order and so individual 
as caprice seems to me out of the question. Under pre- 
cisely similar circumstances and conditions, I believe every 
fish of a given kind will act in precisely the same way; 
and that this does not always appear to us to be the case, 
is due, I am decidedly inclined to believe, rather to our 
own ignorance than to the idiosyncrasy of the fish. 

Not only do I believe that there are reasons for the 
varying conduct which has given rise to these discrepant 
opinions in regard to the selection of flies for salmon- 
fishing, but 1 believe that a knowledge of these reasons 
is by no means hopeless. 

One thing, however, seems certain. Abstract deduc- 



Flies and Hoohs. 91 

tion from mere surmise as a basis, is not the way to arrive 
at that result. By abandoning this method of investiga- 
tion for that of direct physical experiment, man has ac- 
quired more sound knowledge, and has advanced more in 
the last two or three centuries than during all the rest of 
the known history of the race. By applying the same 
method to the investigation of this problem, analogy war- 
rants us in hoping for a like successful issue. 

The many who regard this question as having no further 
beai'ing than upon the degree of success that some idle 
angler may attain, will naturally think it so trivial that 
its serious study and discussion merit little more than 
ridicule. This, it seems to me, is the view of but a shal- 
low mind, and one oblivious to the teachings of the 
past. It is the ever-increasing knowledge of nature and 
its works which has made this century so preeminent. 
He who first discovered that heated water gave forth an 
elastic vapor, or that an electro-magnet would attract an 
armature, had little thought that the application of either 
discovery would revolutionize the intercourse of the v/orld. 
No man can foresee what may follow from any discovery 
in the realm of nature. Five hundred investigations may 
be utterly barren of result and so much waste labor, but 
the five hundred and first may be indeed a prize which 
will confer untold and unexpected benefits upon mankind. 
It is possible — indeed probable — -that the practical value 
of this matter has been correctly appraised in the begin- 
ning of this paragraph. But it may result in discoveries 
which will affect the fisheries of the world. The bare 
possibility wai-rants the effort. 

Such experiments as my scanty leisure and opportuni- 
ties have enabled me to conduct, I have tried in the hope 



92 The American Salmon- fisher man. 

of throwing some light on the question. They are not 
the best nor the most conclusive methods I could devise, 
though they are the best and most conclusive methods my 
limited time and facilities permitted. Of these experi- 
ments I propose to give some account. Upon the facts 
the reader may rely. On the value of my deductions 
from these facts every one can pass for himself. 

How the fly really appears to the salmon seemed to me 
to lie at the root of the matter, and to ascertain this, if 
possible, I addressed my attention. 

Though we cannot say with, the absolute certainty of 
mathematical dem.onstration that a rock or snag in a 
river-bed appears to a salmon as what we know and de- 
scribe as a rock or snag, since we cannot change ourselves 
into that fish ; still the probabilities seem to me so over- 
whelmingly in its favor, that, in the absence of direct 
and incontrovertible proof to the contrary, I see no other 
course open to a reasonable man than to conclude that 
such is the fact. If this is true as to rocks and snags, it 
must also be true as to flies, since the same principles 
govern in both cases. 

In my former volume, " Fly-Rods and Fly-Tackle," I 
gave my reasons for this view at some length, concluding 
thus : " Light is light, and by its aid all animated beings 
see, and in its absence all alike are blind. The laws of 
nature operate equally and invariably both above and 
below the water ; and until it is demonstrated to be other- 
wise, I cannot think that, trout see in any different man- 
ner or by any different means than do we. There is 
probably a difference in degree, but I cannot believe in 
kind." 

As far as my limited skill as an anatomist enables me 



Flies and Hooks. 



93 



to judge, I can detect no difference of structure between 
the eye of the trout and that of the salmon, which would 
lead me to infer that there is any material difference in 
their functions,' 

Some time ago I caused a tank to he constructed for 
the purpose of exjaerimenting on the colors of leaders, the 
results of which investigation were given in my former 
volume. The reasons and experiments there given, which 
led me to devise that apparatus, led me to use it in the 
present instance, and to have faith in the results so ob- 
tained. 




Fig. 7. 

In the preceding figure A represents the tank, which 
was five feet long and fourteen and a half inches deep, 
measured on the inside. Where the bottom met the 
ends, apertures were formed three inches high and the 
width of the tank, which were closed with plate-glass, JB. 
When the tank was in use, the head of the observer and 
the end of the tank, as well as* the glass at the opposite 
end, were so wrapped in black rubber-cloth as to exclude 
all light except such as entered through the surface of 
the water. 

To the end of a salmon-rod tip a piece of copper wire. 



94 The Americaii Salmon-fisherman. 

in shape like an inverted T, was secured l)y a freely 
movable joint. To the cross-piece of the T the flies to 
he examined were secured by pieces of very soft iron 
wire, about the thickness of a fine sewing-thread. The 
joints at the points where the iron wires were secured to 
the copper wire, as well as where they were attached to 
the loop at the heads of the flies, admitted of perfect 
freedom of movement. Six flies could thus be simul- 
taneously compared. 

It was thought best to choose well-known flies of uni- 
form size, and by a well-known maker, for experiment. 

Flies tied by Forest of Kelso, Scotland, on No. 1 
O'Shaughnessy hooks were therefore selected, of the fol- 
lowing varieties: Jock Scott, Durham Ranger, Silver 
Doctor, Silver Gray, Butcher, Black Dose, and Black 
Fairy. Subsequently a Fiery Brown was added, neces- 
sarily by a different maker, as none of the former make 
were procurable. It was, however, of the same size, and 
maybe described as follows: Tail, toj)piug; butt, yellow 
silk; body, fiery-brown pig's-wool; fiery-brown hackle tied 
palmer-fashion; gold tinsel; wings, brown mallard; horns, 
yellow macaw; head, black hurl. Many other varieties 
were tried as well, but it will be sufiicient to confine our 
attention to these. 

My first effort was addressed to determine whether the 
salmon did mistake the fly for a minnow or shrimp, as by 
many supposed. My belief that salmon take the fly as 
and for food, and for no other purjDose, has been else- 
where stated, together with the reasons upon which that 
belief is based. 

Unfortunately no shrimps were to be had during the 
period when these experiments were in progress. Min- 



Flies and Hooks. 95 

HOWS, however, were obtainable in the form of " white- 
bait," believed to be identical with the English fish of 
that name. They were silvery in color, except upon the 
back, which was light olive-green. 

The sky was entirely overcast and leaden in color, 
with rain. The water in the tank was in what would 
generally be considered first-class fishing condition, i.e., 
very slightly turbid, the tank having just been filled. A 
whitebait was selected of the same length as the wings 
of the flies, and suspended in like manner from the cop- 
per wire, with two flies on each side. Throughout these 
experiments the flies were manipulated two or three 
inches below the surface of the water, as is customary in 
salmon-fishing. 

A marked apparent increase in the size of both fish 
and flies when submerged, over that in air, was first no- 
ticed — an apparent increase of one half, if not somewhat 
more. 

At the extreme further end of the tank the white- 
bait was unmistakably a fish, and nothing else. As long 
as the flies were suflaciently near the observer to enable 
him to distinguish their details of construction, they 
bore not the faintest resemblance to the fish. But when 
moved to the farther end of the tank, the bodies of all, 
except those of the Silver Gray and Silver Doctor, dis- 
appeared altogether. Then, when those flies were moved 
which were provided with mixed wings of which the crest 
of the golden-pheasant formed part, the wings seemed 
to flash with reflected light in a manner and with an ap- 
pearance not unlike that of the fish. The effect was 
extremely beautiful to my eye. It was like the inter- 
mittent flash of a firefly, lighting up the closely con- 



96 The Ameifican Salmon-Jisherman. 

tiguous water with a mellow glow, yellower vi color, and 
by no means so pronounced and incisive as the flash of 
the minnow. Mere inspection would, I believe, fail to 
enable any one to determine the nature or form of the 
object; but something was there softly luminous, and 
endowed with motion and apparent life. Had it been 
possible to view the fish through a thicker stratum of 
water than that of the five feet which the tank contained, 
I could not question that as its form became more and 
more obscure, its resemblance to such flies would become 
more and more marked. 

This experiment was repeated again and again under 
the same, and difi^erent conditions of light and water. If 
the investigation had any value at all, it demonstrated 
that only when either from the size or color or distance 
of the fly from the observer, its details were undistin- 
guishable — then, and then only was it possible for any- 
thing with eyes to mistake the fly for a minnow.* 

* Since writing the above, slirimp were obtained and tried in the 
same manner. 

The experiment was not altogether satisfactory, since I could not 
get the shrimp to the tank alive. Though quite fresh, yet they 
seemed to me more opaque and somewhat grayer in color than when 
in life. That exactness of condition so desirable in an exiDeriment 
was therefore wanting. Still, I think the difference was hardly so 
marked as to deprive the resuhs of all value. 

It may be — indeed I judged it probable — that salmon may under 
some conditions mistake some flies for shrimp, but it can only be 
through a thicker or less transparent stratum of water than the live 
feet of my tank. Under no circumstances could I detect more than 
a suggestion of a resemblance. 

For the benetit of my English readers, shoiild I be so fortunate as 
to have any, I might say that the shrimp experimented with were 



Flies and Hoohs. 97 

Whether the full blaze of an unclouded sun fell on the 
water, or whether the sky was like lead and the hour 
late, at all times and under all circumstances light colors 
were far more conspicuous than dark. This was to he ex- 
pected. All non-luminous opaque bodies are visible solely 
by reflected light, and the more perfect the reflecting 
surfaces, the more light will reach the eye, and the more 
visible they will be. The silver bodies of the Silver 
Doctor and Silver Gray were the most obtrusive, then 
yellow, including golden-pheasant crests, jungle-cock 
neck-feathers, the darker color of golden-|)heasant tippets, 
reds, browns, and blacks, in the order given. With a 
rain-sky, only the butt of the brown mallard wing of the 
Black Fairy where it merged into the gray could be 
seen at three feet, while all but the wing of the Black 
Dose disappeared as well. The Fiery Brown could be 
seen a little farther, and a little beyond this the Butcher 
disappeared. Those flies having a mixed wing with a 
golden-pheasant crest topping, or light colors in the body, 
were at the same time quite visible the entire length of 
the tank. 

Swan's feather and goat's beard, both dyed yellow, 
were added to the wing of the Black Fairy, to test their 
respective values as substitutes for the expensive golden- 
pheasant crests. Both lacked the peculiar sheen of the 
crest, and were thought to be decidedly inferior. 

Mention is hereafter made that objects situate without 
the water are only visible to fish within a circular area, 

those frequenting the waters in the vicinity of New York City — a 
rather translucent creature about one and a half inches long, and 
not materially different, as I am informed, from the shrimp of Eng- 
land. 

7 



98 The American Sahnon-fisheTinan. 

the centre of which lies directly over the fish, and the 
diameter of which is to the depth of water above the fish, 
as twenty is to thirteen. Within this area surrounding 
objects were clearly visible to me, while other portions of 
the surface were always as opaque as a stone wall. When 
the flies were displayed within the transparent space, it 
was almost impossible, with one exception, to distinguish 
one variety from another, no matter how widely their 
characteristics might differ. When a comparatively dull- 
colored object is viewed against a bright light, the vivid 
impression of the background swallows up that produced 
upon the retina by the more feebly illuminated interven- 
ing object; and to this was the result attributed. The 
Fiery Brown here showed decided superioi'ity. Its pecu- 
liar-colored hackle, wound the whole length of the body, 
fairly burned with transmitted light. 

When the flies were examined looking toward the sun, 
somewhat the same effect was produced, and by the same 
cause. No matter how clear the water might be, at four 
feet, their characteristics became obscure. If the ob- 
server then changed his position to the other end of the 
tank, so that the sun was at his back, every detail of con- 
struction, even to the hook itself, was plainly visible the 
full length of the tank. In the one case the illuminated 
side was viewed against a dai*k background; in the other 
case the shaded side was seen against a bright back- 
ground. The difference was very marked when the sun 
was on the meridian of the tank, diminishing gradually 
as it bore more or less to one side. 

The jungle-cock neck-feather, employed so frequently 
upon the cheeks of flies, was a very conspicuous feature 
at all times when anything beyond the flash of the crest- 



Flies and Hoohs. 99 

feather of the wing, or the sheen of the silver bodies 
could be seen. When a dark-colored body was visible 
the hook was invariably at least equally conspicuous. 
Silver tinsel appeared to be more efficient than gold, as 
might be expected from its higher reflecting power, 
though both held their own well. 

This summarizes such results of these experiments as 
seem to me to be of general interest, and which I am 
willing to characterize as facts. 

Applying them to the many and apparently irrecon- 
cilable differences of opinion in regard to the varieties of 
flies preferred by salmon, and bearing in mind my belief 
that salmon take the fly as and for food, it seems to me 
an explanation may be found which goes far toward ac- 
counting for many of these apparent discrepancies. 

When would we naturally expect the salmon to take 
the fly ? Clearly when, though visible, it resembles as 
little as possible what it really is — a flower of fancy and 
no production of nature. We find these conditions filled 
when the size or colors, or both, of the fly are so adjusted 
to the depth and transparency of the water and the light 
which falls upon it, that the details of the fly are obscure, 
and only the general effect of a living and moving object 
is produced. Should the attention of a salmon be then 
directed to the fly, how can it do otherwise than attribute 
the effect produced to that living object, with which it is 
familiar, which most closely resembles it ? And should 
that familiar object be one which appeals to its appetite 
at the time, the salmon would then naturally, as it seems 
to me, make an effort to take it. 

On the other hand, should the fly be so large, or its 



100 The Amerioan Sahnon-jisherman. 

colors so pronounced that the conditions of light and water 
enable the salmon to so analyze its structure at a glance 
as to preclude the exercise of its imagination, then it 
seems reasonable to suppose they would recognize that 
the fly was nothing which concerned them, and that they 
would ignore its presence. 

If we now compare what ought to follow from this as- 
sumption of fact with what we know actually does take 
place, it seems to me we shall find the results in accord. 

Experience has taught us that in the early season and 
in turbid water, or in dark and windy weather, larger flies 
and those of a more striking hue are successful. The 
greater depth of water, and its diminished transparency, 
or the feeble illumination of the fly, would lead us to ex- 
pect this, since the details of construction are then ob- 
scured by a comparatively thin stratum of water, leaving 
full play to the imagination of the fish. 

We also know that when the water is low and clear, 
and untouched by wind, while the light is strong, that 
then smaller flies of less obtrusive character alone will 
move the fish, if indeed even they will do it. This, too, 
should result from our theory. 

If we also take into consideration the marked degree 
in which the visibility of the fly, and consequently the 
power to analyze it, depends upon the direction of the 
sun with relation to the fish, we will find, it seems to me, 
at least a probable explanation of many other facts of 
the same kind. We have proved experimentally that 
when the sun is at the back of the observer, the make-up 
of the fly is plain for a comparatively long distance; 
while when the sun shines in the observer's face the fly 
speedily becomes obscured. 



Flies and Hooks. 101 

I draw from these considerations the following prac- 
tical deductions. 

I believe that salmon only take the fly when its details 
are obscure, and when there is room for the imagination 
of the fish to clothe it with the attributes of some object 
with which it is familiar, and for which it has an appetite 
at the time. 

That it may be urged against this that there must be 
some point during the progress of the fish toward the fly 
where every detail is apparent, I have not overlooked. 
Sometimes salmon rise to the fly and take it. We are all 
as familiar with the phenomenon of salmon rising " short " 
— rising at the fly, yet refusing to take it — as we desire 
to be. That in- the one case the permanence of an 
already fixed impression and the eagerness of pursuit 
blinds them; while in the other, that the lesser ardor of 
a more languid appetite prompts a more cautious ad- 
vance — is a satisfactory explanation to my mind. Indeed, 
the fact that salmon do rise "short" at all seems to me 
confirmatory of the theory. 

When salmon rise short, or when they refuse to rise at 
all, I believe it is either because the fish see too much of 
the fly, or because they can mistake it for nothing for 
which they care at that particular time. 

These two principles, if valid, would seem especially to 
commend themselves to the beginner. They do not, it is 
true, direct him infallibly to the exact fly which will 
best suit every occasion, but they will guide him in the 
direction in which it may be sought. The particular 
thing which a salmon may fancy at that moment, if it 
fancies anything, is largely a matter of guesswork, to be 
determined, if at all, by the experience of others with the 



102 The American Salmon-fislierrrian. 

run of the fish which frequent that water. But if these 
principles are recognized and acted on, he has a definite 
rule to direct him — something at all events much better 
than mere random experiment. 

He then studies the stage and state of the water, the 
character of the light, and its direction with reference to 
the fish, which of course are always headed up stream, 
He assumes that the fish lie near the bottom. He then 
selects from among the flies which exiDerience has shown 
to suit the fish of that water, one which in size and color 
he judges w^ould be visible for some distance, yet the 
details of which he thinks will become apparent only 
after the fish has progressed in its approach toward the 
fly. With this he begins, using a larger fly in deep or 
much troubled water, and a smaller one where it is 
shallow or smoother, always striving for the golden 
mean between visibility and obscurity, wherein lies 
success. 

Should a fish rise, yet rise short, he attributes its action 
to a definite cause; and, after a brief delay that its dis- 
trust and disappointment may subside, offers it a smaller 
fly of the same kind. He has erred on the side of visi- 
bility, and tries the smaller fly as necessarily more ob- 
scure. Should that fail, he rests the fish again for the 
same reason, and tries a fly one part of which — say the 
body — is still more obscure. Or, to be more precise, as- 
sume that the fish first rose to a Jock Scott. He tries it 
the second time with a smaller fly of the same kind; and 
that failing, resorts, perhaps, to a Black Dose, the wing 
of Avhich is as conspicuous as that of the other fly, while 
the body and hackle are much less so. 

In short, he knows what he is trying to do, and, study- 



Flies and Hooks. 103 

ing the surrounding circumstances, uses his brains to ac- 
complish the desired result. 

It may be well to add this to the results of my experi- 
ments already given. Though I could not imitate the 
motion given to a salmon-fly to my entire satisfaction, 
still I was able to do so sufiiciently to make me feel 
pretty confident that the opening and closing action of 
the wings, which salmon-flies are supposed to have when 
properly manij)ulated, is usually somewhat overestimated, 
and by no means of as much consequence as the flashing 
of the mixed wings, particularly of those of which the 
crest of the golden-pheasant was a constituent. I have 
already spoken of the strong impression their appearance 
made upon me. It seemed to me that this appearance 
was more facilitated by vibrating the tip of the rod 
rather slowly in the usual manner, than by moving it 
steadily, or vibrating it rapidly. 

A discussion of the choice of salmon-flies naturally 
divides itself into two branches: First, the selection of a 
particular fly to suit a particular occasion when in pres- 
ence of the fish; and Second, the selection of a stock of 
flies preparatory to a trip, as part of the outfit for that 
trip. 

The first we have already disposed of to the best of 
our ability. The second remains to be considered. 

The reader will find a sound practical rule for this pur- 
pose foreshadowed in the imaginary letter in our first 
chapter. Ask tlio person from whom the fishing is leased 
what kinds of flies and of what sizes have j)roved the 
most successful upon his water during that portion of 



104 The American Salmon-jisheTman. 

the season in which it is proposed to fish. Though pos- 
sibly this may not disclose the very best possible fly for 
that water and time, it is sure to name some that will 
answer very well. But to render the inquiry of value, 
the size as well as the kind should be included in the in- 
terrogatory; and, since both will vary during the season, 
the question should be specifically limited to the time 
when it is proposed to fish. 

If this guide is unavailable, — if the reader intends to 
try the Penobscot, for example, — the next best course 
would appear to be to select such flies as the ma- 
jority of salmon-anglers unite in commending, if such 
there are. Though almost every authority has his indi- 
vidual preferences which may not be included in the 
following list, still few, if any, mention the flies therein 
contained without praise. With the Jock Scott, Silver 
Doctor or Silver Gray, Durham Ranger, Popham, and 
Butcher for the higher-colored flies; and with the Black 
Dose, Fiery Brown, Brown Fairy, and Black Fairy, for 
those of more sober hue, in his fly-book, the beginner 
may venture on his proposed trip without apprehension. 
He should have at least two — better still, three — sizes of 
each. If early in the season, he should be supplied with 
flies tied on hooks l^V and ly^-g- inches long, while 
during the latter half of the season those on hooks lyg^ 
and ly^g- inches long will probably be more useful. This 
is the general rule. But freshets or abnormally low 
water may render the flies usually appropriate to one 
part of the season, preferable in the other. It is cafer, 
therefore, to be provided with the three sizes. 

Salmon are by no means so destructive of flies as trout. 
Six flies of each kind of each size, if leaders tested to eight 



Flies and Hooks. 105 

pounds are used, will doubtless be sufficient for a montb or 
six weeks' use. If it is decided to economize in quantity, 
the sacriiice should be on one or the other extreme of 
the scale, according to the season, and not in the middle; 
while if the number is to be reduced, select in the follow- 
ing order: Jock Scott, Silver Doctor, Black Dose, Brown 
Fairy, Durham Ranger, Fiery Brown, Butcher or Pop- 
ham, and Black Fairy. But always have plenty of Jock 
Scotts. It holds the rank among salmon-flies of the 
Brown Hackle among trout-flies, in that it is universally 
applicable to any and every water with good effect. The 
patterns tied by Forest, of Kelso, Scotland, seem to be 
preferred in this country, and they are certainly both 
tastefully and durably made. The varieties above named 
and of the make indicated are well known, and can be 
obtained of any extensive dealer in fishing-tackle. 

HOOKS. 

Next in order comes the all-important question upon 
v/hat foi*m of hooks should our flies be made. 

I entered quite fully into the mechanics of the fish- 
hook in my former volume, " Fly-Rods and Fly-Tackle." 
Without repeating what was there said, the rules which 
are my guide in the selection of hooks are offered for 
what they may be worth, together with a brief statement 
of the reasons upon which they are based. 

I first place the hook on a level surface, the glass 
show-case of the salesman for example, in the position 
shown in the following figure, in which B C represents 
the level surface. 



106 



The American Salmon-Jisherma^. 




I then construct in imagination the parallelogram h c 
de, of which the barb-side of the point, a, is the diagonal, 
as shown in the followinsr iio^ure. 




Fig. 9. 



Then, unless the side h e considerably exceeds in length 
the perpendicular c e, the hook is condemned. It is 
obvious that the barb shown on the left-hand side of the 
figure is much more likely to rake its way out of a fish's 
mouth than that on the right hand, while the latter will 
bury sufficiently to insure a good hold if it buries at all. 
Therefore in certainty the right-hand barb is superior, 
while practically equal otherwise. The shorter the side 
b c, when compared to the side c e, the more defective is 
the hook in this respect, since when the side b c becomes 
nothing there is no tendency to penetrate at all. The 
relation of these sides of the parallelogram to one another 
expresses the certainty of the hook to bite; and there- 
fore the rule as given above. 



Flies and Hooks. 107 

The shape of the point, including that of the barb, is 
next considered. Easy penetration is here the desidera- 
tum. A needle will penetrate more readily than a brad- 
awl. The point should be conical that it may enter easily, 
as in A in the following figure; and long, that a fairly 
prominent barb may be given without making the hook 
"hollow-pointed," as in .S. 




Fig. 10. 

It needs no argument to show that much less force will 
bury the point A beyond the barb than will be required 
by the point B for that purpose, while the difference in 
holding power is not material if the hook is otherwise 
properly constructed. 

Next, the wire should not be cut over one third 
through in forming the barb. This is a most common 
fault, pai'ticularly in "hollow-pointed" hooks. If then 
the point comes in contact with a bone, or if a powerful 
fish wrenches upon it, the point is apt to break off at the 
cut. It is far better to have a smaller barb that will 
stand up to its work, than a larger one which is pretty 
certain to fail the moment a really good fish is fastened. 

Next, the hook should be deep on the barb-side. The 
play of the fish should be away from the point of escape 



108 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

— not on its very threshoicl. The barb should come into 
use but seldom, and then only to withstand some mo- 
mentary and unusual convulsion of the fish. Otherwise 
every struggle is a direct strain upon the barb, necessarily 
a weak spot, since the wire is there partially divided. 

Lastly, the wire should be heavy enough so that the 
hook will not oj^en much, if any, when the point is en- 
gaged in a block of wood and the shank is pulled upon. 
For if the hook springs open vinder these circumstances, 
of course the form of the bend is at once changed, and 
a hook which would meet approval under the rule first 
given might so vary in use as to become exceedingly de- 
fective. 

The O'Shaughnessy, the Limerick, and the Sproat are 
the foi-ms of hooks most used in salmon-flies in this coun- 
try. Assuming these rules to be valid, as I believe them 
to be, if we apply them to these hooks we shall obtain 
the following results : 

The tendency of the O'Shaughnessy to jDenetrate is very 
fair, though not as good as the SjDroat. The shape of 
the point is also usually good; the wire is not cut too 
much in forming the barb; it has fair depth on the barb- 
side, though inferior to the Limerick in this respect; and 
the wire is heavy enough. 

The Limerick has not the certainty of either the S})roat 
or the O'Shaxighnessy. The barb is bad, since not only 
is it "hollow-pointed," but the wire is usually cut half 
through in its formation. To offset this, it has the great- 
est depth of any on the barb-side, so that the fish plays 
at the greatest distance from the j^oint of escape, while 
the wire is heavy enough to prevent the hook from 
changing shape when the point becomes engaged. 



Flies and Hoohs. 109 

To criticise the Sproat is difficult. Every manxifac- 
turer seems to make a hook which he calls a Sproat, and 
the market is flooded with hooks under this name, no 
two of which are alike. For some years I have been un- 
able to obtain the form upon which the Sproat made its 
reputation, and which was really a good hook. Some of 
the recent types have every defect a hook can have — 
some of them more, some of them less. But all of them 
seem to have one feature which should preclude them 
from, use against a fish which fights so long and so hard 
as a salmon — they are very short on the barb-side. The 
fish, therefore, plays directly on the barb, which is con- 
sequently very liable to be broken off. I have known 
three of these hooks to fail at this point in one day's fish- 
ing. The state of mind of their unhappy user may easily 
be imagined. 

Of these hooks, therefore, the O'Shaughnessy is decid- 
edly the best for salmon-flies, and upon them 
the Forest flies are tied. 

But a so-called modification of the Lim- 
erick hook, the invention of Mr. H. Chol- 
mondeley Pennell, the well-known angling- 
author, has recently appeared in England, 
which I believe to be far superior to any 
of these. I recommend this hook with the 
greater confidence, since I have used Mr. 
Pennell's modification of the Sneck-bend for 
three or four years under conditions designed 
to thoroughly test its efficiency and strength. F'? H- , 

^ ^ .-, . ni 1 p°p PenneUSneck- 

Gradualiy it superseded every other form ot bend Hook. 
hook in my esteem, until last year I used no other, except 
upon compulsion and with reluctance. 



u 



no 



The American Salmon- fisherman. 



It will Ibe noticed that the point is set in toward the 
shank so as to insure all the certainty of penetration 
which the original form of Sproat possessed — or indeed 
which is possible in a hook; that the point is long 
and conical; that the wire is but little weakened in the 
formation of the barb; that it is deep on the shank-side; 
that the wire is of sufficient thickness to prevent change 
of form; and that the shank is straight, thus facilitating 
the tying of the fly. 

My attention was but recently called to the " Improved 
Limerick" hook. Though its name and shajDe might 
lead a casual observer to consider it really a modifica- 
tion of the hook from which it is named, careful con- 
sideration of the following diagram of the three sizes 






Fig. 12. 

most useful to the salmon-fishermen in this country, will 
show that it is really nothing but the Pennell Sneck-bend 
hook, with the angle where the shank merges into the 
bend softened into an easier curve. 



Flies and Hooks. ill 

The weakness due to the somewhat angular bend in 
the old form was compensated for by increasing the 
thickness of metal at that place, and it answered every 
purpose, as far as I could see. The substitution of the 
curve for the angle gives even greater strength, but it is 
gained only at the sacrifice of the long straight shank of 
the Sneck form — a loss which the fly-tier will deplore. 

Salmon-flies are usually provided with a small loop of 
twisted gut by which they are secured to the leader. 
This system is open to objection. When the loop has 
been once wet, and has become dry again, it is often 
found to be twisted upon itself. Thereafter it will be 
very difiioult to make the fly swim upright and upon an 
even keel, instead of which it is apt to wobble through 
the water in a manner equally demoralizing to the fish 
and to the angler. 

A letter, recently received from one of the highest au- 
thorities on fly-fishing in the United Kingdom, assures 
me that the better class of fly -fishermen throughout 
Great Britain have abandoned the use of all gut append- 
ages to the fly, whether large or small. The imitation 
insect is built upon a naked hook, the shank-end of 
which terminates in a small eye, as shown in the preced- 
ing figure, into which the leader is tied. 

Eyed hooks are old, and have been tried and found 
wanting. It is but another example of how slight a 
change of structure will often convert a mechanical fail- 
ure into a practical success. The change in this instance 
consisted in giving the eye a bend upward of something 
more than half a right angle. The leader, if the knot is 
properly tied, then leads from the hook in a continuation 



112 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

of the line of the shank, causing the fly to swim npright 
and on an even keel. All injury to the fly from drawing 
it through the loop terminating the leader is thus avoided, 
since that loop is dispensed with, while the useful life of 
the fly depends on the cohesion of the material of which 
it is composed, rather than on the integrity of the gut 
upon which it is tied. Some authorities claim tbat a fly 
so constructed will last five times as long as one made in 
the manner usual here — an important feature when the 
cost is considered. But however that may be, there can 
be no question that a fly so made will last much longer, 
be less likely to snap off on the back-cast, swim straighter, 
and that the connection between the fly and the outside 
world will be much more closely disguised, 

Mr. Pennell has improved on this feature of the hook 
by turning the eye downward, as shown in the figui-e, in- 
stead of upward. The draft-line — or, in other words, the 
sureness of the hook — is certainly improved by the change. 
It would also seem that the gut should then lead in a line 
more coincident with that of the shank of the hook, with 
a consequent imj)rovement in the swim of the fly. 

The following diagrams and directions showing how 
the leader should be secured to the hook, are borrowed 
from Mr. Pennell himself. The term "central link" 
designates the body-part of the leader, as distinguished 
from its end -part. 



Fig, 13. 



Flies and Hooks. 113 

" Take the hook by the bend between the finger and 
thumb of the left hand, and with the eye turned down- 
ward in the position shown in the diagram ; then — the 
gut being first thoroughly well soaked — push the end, 
with a couple of inches or so, down through the eye (^) 
toward the point of the hook ; then pass it round over 
the shank of the hook, and again, from the opposite side, 
downward through the eye in a direction away from the 
hook's point (the gut-end and the central link will now 
be lying parallel) ; make the double slip-knot {A) round 
the central link (C), and pull the said knot itself per- 
fectly tight ; then draw the loop of gut, together with 
the knot (^), backward (toward the tail of the fly) 
until the knot presses tightly into and against the metal 
eye of the hook {B), where hold it firmly with the fore- 
finger and thumb of the left hand, whilst with the right 
hand — and 'humoring' the gut in the process — the cen- 
tral link is drawn tight, thus taking in the ' slack ' of the 
knot. When finished, cut the superfluous gut-end off 
close." 

" [To tie a double slip-knot : Make a single slip-knot 
{A), and, before drawing it close, /j 

pass the gut-end {S) a second thne a^ —=...(/ 

round the central link ( C), and then Fig. 14. 

again through the loop {A), when the knot will be like 
{A) in the larger diagram. To finish, pull the end of the 
gut {B) — gradually, and at last very tightly — straight- 
aioay : in a line, that is, with the central link (6').]" 

He who is accustomed to tie his own leaders, will rec- 
ognize this knot as that which is generally termed in this 
country "the double water-knot." 

I cannot but think this a very decided advance on the 



114 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

methods at present in use in this country. It is adapted 
to all sizes of flies, from the minutest midge to the larg- 
est salmon-fly, though the greater comparative cost of 
the latter, and the greater durability which it insures, 
render it more important that it should be applied to 
them. By the time this book is in print, or soon there- 
after, it is hoped these hooks and flies tied thereon may 
be had in this country. It rests, however, in great meas- 
ure with the anglers themselves. Fishing-tackle dealers 
are conservative as a rule; and though competition will 
do much, more in the way of improvement and advance 
is to be accomplished by outside pressure. If all who 
approve of the foregoing, and desire to try these hooks, 
will but ask their respective fishing-tackle dealers for 
them, they will soon be on sale everywhere. 



Salmon-fishing — Casting the Fly. 115 



CITAPTEB VT. 

SALMON-FISHING— CASTING THE FLY. 

The suggestion of salmon-fisliing to a trout-fisherman 
inexperienced therein, at once raises the doubt in his 
mind whether he will be able to cast efficiently with a 
salmon-rod without long preliminary practice; and his 
very first question is usually designed to relieve his mind 
on this point. 

My answer to this question has been, that he who can 
cast with a single-handed trout-rod, will be able to cast 
equally well with a double-handed salmon-rod with little 
if any more special practice than would be required to 
pass for the first time from the use of a five-ounce to 
that of a nine-ounce rod. 

Some of the books contain diagrams showing the path 
to be described in the air by the tip of the rod and other 
like matters, intended to instruct the beginner in the 
art of casting with the salmon-rod. Though accustomed 
to reading mechanical drawings and interpreting descrip- 
tive matter relating to them, these diagrams were to 
me a source of doubt and uncertainty. Exactly what 
was their purpose I could not determine to my own 
satisfaction. It was only after experience had illumined 
the question that I found it could have well been para- 
phrased thus — so handle your rod on the back-cast that 
the fly shall not strike the rod in its backward flight. 



116 



The American Salmon-fisherman. 



Perhaps the fact that the path to be described by the tip 
of the rod to accomplish this result must vary with the 
presence or absence of wind, or its direction if present, 
may have confused me. Only when a dead calm prevails 
can directions of this kind be applicable. 

But however this may be, it all amounts to the very 
elementary principle indicated — a principle which every 
tyro discovers during the first twenty minutes of his 




maiden effort to cast the fly. We all know that in a 
dead calm the rod must follow one path en the back-cast 
and another on the forward-cast; that if the wind is 
quartering, or from either side, the rod should travel 
backward and forward in the same substantially perjDen- 
dicular plane; and that when the wind is gusty and 



Salmon-fishing — Casting the Fly. 



117 



Ibaffling, the best of us are sometimes caught napping, to 
our great mortification and disgust. 

I have alluded to this matter thus at length, lest the 
incipient salraon-fisherman be deluded, as I was, by the 
very simplicity of the real explanation into seeking a 
hidden meaning which has no existence. 

There is, however, one difference in casting with a 
salmon-rod, that he whose experience has been limited 
to a single-handed rod must by no means overlook. 




Fig. 16. 



When casting with a single-handed rod, the practical 
centre of motion lies within the hand which holds the rod. 
When the upper part of the rod is thrown behind the 
angler on the back-cast, that portion of the handle which 
is below the hand moves toward the front, as shown in 
Fig. 15. 



118 The American SalmoTi-fishermom. 

When the forward-cast is made, that iDortion of the 
handle moves toward the rear, as shown in Fig. 16. The 
casting-hand is in effect a pivot upon which the rod oscil- 
lates. 

ISTow let us assume that we have before us an expert 
in the use of the single-handed rod, essaying to cast with 
a double-handed rod for the first time. Since example 
is better than precept, a close observation and analysis 
of his procedure cannot fail to be instructive. 

Having always been accustomed to manipulate his rod 
with the hand above the reel, he naturally relies mainly 
on that hand to govern the rod; and as naturally, and 
for the same reason, endeavors to make that hand the 
centre of motion, and to compel the lower hand to com- 
form thereto. In other words, he endeavors to reproduce 
the motion of the single-handed rod, moving that portion 
of the butt below his upper hand to the front when the 
upper part of the rod is thrown behind him for the back- 
cast; and reversing the motion of these parts upon the 
forward-cast, his upper hand being the centre of motion. 
He is in trouble at once. If he holds the rod approxi- 
mately opposite the middle of his body, as is inevitable 
since both hands are employed, he will hardly have begun 
his forward-cast before that portion of the rod below his 
upper hand — reversing as it does the motion of the upper 
part of the rod — encounters his stomach, and brings the 
cast to an untimely and disagreeable end. 

A few experiences of this kind are a full dose for a 
grown man. Some modification is imperative. He next 
endeavors to cast by holding the rod well off to one side, 
so thait the butt may swing clear. If standing, this is in 
measure successful, until excessive fatigue from the un- 



Salmon-fishing — Casting the Fly. 119 

natural and constrained position indicates that something 
must be wrong about it too. If sitting, he finds not even 
this faint shadow of encouragement. The butt of the 
rod is as constantly in the way as is a sword to him who 
for the first time tries to dance with one by his side — and 
moreover it kicks like a mule. 

The path maybe longer or shorter, and it may be more 
or less thorny, but it leads to this at last. He now grasps 
the rod with the lower hand at the extreme end of the 
butt. He makes this the centre of motion instead of his 
upper hand, and moves the latter hand to conform thereto. 
The rod at once abandons its vicious demeanor, and ceases 
to kick, since the kicking part is held still; and lo ! the 
problem is solved. 

If he w^ho is accustomed to flyfishing for trout with a 
single-handed rod will but bear this principle in mind, 
he may look forward with confidence to handling a sal- 
mon-rod at his first effort, with little or no embarrass- 
ment as far as casting is concerned. 

Nor is this all of benefit to be had from this method of 
handling the rod. Upon no one point in the use of the 
single-handed rod is there a more complete concord of 
opinion, than that both hands should be educated to 
handle the rod with equal facility and skill. Every in- 
structor, whether in print, at home, or in the field, strives 
to impress this upon the beginner. The more deficient 
the instructor himself may be in this respect through de- 
fective early training, the greater his appreciation of the 
accomplishment, and the more urgent his recommenda- 
tion. 

The ability to handle a salmon-rod with either hand 
above the reel, if not the exact counterpart of this, dif- 



120 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

fers only in that it is of even greater importance. If 
the heginner will but grasp the rod at its extreme lower 
end, and make that end the pivot upon which the rod 
swings, — bring his upper hand as close to the reel as 
the length of the rod and his physical strength will con- 
veniently permit, that the amplitude of motion of that 
hand may be reduced to a minimum, — and then, treating 
the lower hand almost as if it were a mere socket, compel 
the upper hand to conform to the motion of the rod — he 
will find little embarrassment from this cause at the out- 
set, and none at all after a very little practice. He will 
then not only be able to cast over either shoulder with 
equal indifference and eificiency, but he will be able to 
substitute the position of one hand for that of the other 
whenever the approach of fatigue suggests the change. 

Perhaps no mental constitution is more rare than that 
which enables the old and experienced to remember their 
youth or their novitiate, and to so recall the obstacles 
which then beset their path as to place them before the 
beginner, and show him how they may be avoided. Self- 
evident as it must appear upon the least consideration 
that the foregoing principle lies at the very root of facil- 
ity in the use of a salmon-rod, still neither from any of 
the many books which I consulted, nor from any of my 
expert friends, did I receive the slightest intimation of 
its existence. To author and angler alike the day when 
they first stood rod in hand upon the bank of a salmon- 
river, and their early struggles at the foot of the rugged 
hill of knowledge, had become a memory too vague and 
shadowy to be recalled. The higher phases of the art, 
particularly in reference to those points as to which the 
most skilled differ in theory and practice, they could dis- 



Salmon-Jishing — Casting the Fly. 121 

cuss with ability and precision. But the needs of the be- 
ginner had been forgotten; and he, himself ignorant of 
what was to him unknown, could not aid their memory by 
suggestive inquiry. 

To the recollection of the mental travail and the many 
thumps by which this simple . lesson was hammered into 
me — a lesson which the slightest suggestion would have 
taught equally well — to this and to the like, as well as to 
the desire to popularize this king of all sports among the 
hosts of my countrymen whose ideal of recreation is the 
gentle pursuit of the angler, this book is due. 

If he who can already cast a fly with a single-handed 
rod will but bear in mind this one simple principle, no 
difficulty in casting equally well with a salmon-rod will 
be encountered, and he can anticipate sport with con- 
fidence, as far as casting properly is concerned, even 
though he take a salmon-rod in his hands for the first 
time on the very river-bank. 

To him who has the art of casting the fly still to ac- 
quire, let him study the principles and follow the system 
of practice set forth in Chapter IX. of " Fly-Rods and 
Fly-Tackle" for two or three weeks before his trip, — 
longer if possible, — using, of course, a salmon-rod and 
line. Though he may not then be an expert, still he will 
be able to cast respectably — at any rate so that inability 
to present his fly will cause no serious embarrassment. 

Though overhead-casting is the usual, and, generally 
speaking, the best method, still circumstances not in- 
frequently arise under which it is desirable, and some- 
times absolutely necessary, to dispense with the "back- 
cast." The overhead-cast requires an arena behind even 



122 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

less obstructed than that in front of the angler. When 
the rivers first ploughed their way to the sea, the conveni- 
ence of the coming angler was not at all times duly con- 
sidered. Not unfrequently some rocky clifP or high over- 
grown bank so obstructs the back-cast, as to render it 
of jDOSsible advantage only to the tackle-dealer. Some 
method, then, of casting the fly which will dispense 
with the back-cast is certainly desirable. 

Those who in their youth have not amused themselves 
by throwing an ajjple from the end of a switch, can 
easily imagine the process. If, either from memory or a 
" scientific use of the imagination," a picture be drawn of 
what would be done were it desired to thus project the 
missile at an angle of seventy-five degrees from the hori- 
zon, we have it. By duplicating this motion with a sal- 
mon rod, the desired result can be accomplished. 

With the aid of a favorable wind I have seen a very 
long line cast in this way; but against the wind it is 
efficient in the hands of but few, and that with but a 
short line. It is somewhat splashy, and wanting in that 
finished neatness a trout-fisherman loves to see; but the 
splashing occurs in water already fished over, and it cer- 
tainly will take fish. When the wind howls down stream, 
and casting in the ordinary manner becomes a nuisance 
from the effect of the gale on the back-fly, then, and 
when obstacles prevent the ordinary back-cast, the angler 
will surely remember all the attention he has given to 
this method of casting with great satisfaction. 

Perhaps more detail of direction may be of service. 
Let us assume the fly is on the water, and that the time 
has come to retrieve it for the back-cast. Permitting the 
fly to look out for itself and without taking it oft' the 



Salmon-fishing — Casting the Fly. 123 

water, the rod is thrown into an almost but not quite 
horizontal position, the butt pointing to the front and in 
the direction in which the cast is to be delivered, while 
the tip of the rod projects to the rear. We have thus 
drawn the line and fly over the water toward us, and 
have the tip of the rod and about the length of the rod 
of line behind us. So far we have copied the motions of 
the boy endeavoring to cast his apple from his switch to 
the greatest possible distance. To so project the apple, it 
must not be discharged horizontally, but well toward the 
sky. We continue to follow his example. 

We switch the rod upv/ard with some force. Though 
careful to see that the impetus ceases before the rod is 
quite perpendicular, we nevertheless continue the motion 
and ease the rod down until it is nearly horizontal, with 
the tip pointing to the front and toward the place at 
which we wish the fly to be delivered. Perhaps the 
following diagram will make this plainer, in which 

A JB represents the rod before the switch; 

A G, its position when the impetus is to cease; 

AJ^, its position when the cast ends; and D the place 
at which we aim. The arrow points at the salmon for 
whose entertainment the cast is made. 

By thus acting as though we were trying to hit the 
moon, that portion of the line which was behind us is 
thrown into a loop; and, if the impetus ceases at the 
proper moment, this loop travels down the line, lifting 
the fly from the water and projecting it forward. The 
loop must be directed to one side of the line which re- 
mains on the water, and the leeward side must be chosen 
if the wind is not dead fair with the cast. Otherwise 
the sides of the loop will be blown against one another, 



124 



The AmeriGcin Salmon-Jisherman. 



and the impetus which should have propelled the fly will 
be consumed in overcoming the friction so caused — in 
which case the cast will be a failure. 




Fig. U. 



Of the many names for this cast in vogue, the " Switch- 
cast." seems to be preferable, since it is most descriptive. 



CATCHING THE FISH. 

Having in some degree mastered the art of casting the 
salmon-fly, the question " what next " naturally presents 
itself. 

That " next " is so to handle the fly, that it shall excite 
the acquisitiveness of the fish to the uttermost without 
arousing the counter-sentiment of suspicion. 

To this end the current, which will almost invariably 
be present where the fly is cast, will lend no trifling aid. 
Not only does it buoy up the line and fly and thus lessen 
the labor of the rod on the back-cast, and for something 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 125 

the same reason facilitate the switch-cast as well, but it 
cooperates with the angler in imparting an attractive 
motion to the fly, while the wrinkled surface interposes a 
curtain opaque to fish-vision between the angler and the 
sharp eyes of the salmon. 

Both theory and experiment were invoked in "Fly- 
Rods and Fly-Tackle," to show under what conditions and 
to what extent fish can discern objects above the water. 

It will be sufficient here merely to recapitulate these 
results. 

1st. Objects situate above the surface of the water are 
only visible to the fish when that surface is smooth, 

2d. They are only so visible within a circular area, the 
centre of which lies directly over the fish, and the diam- 
eter of which is to the depth of water above the fish as 
20 is to 13. 

3d. Every object ten inches above the water for every 
ten feet from the centre of this circle, is visible within it 
by refraction. 

4th. When the sui'face of the water is disturbed the 
transparent area is blotted out, and the entire surface be- 
comes opaque to fish-vision. 

We all know enough about fish to know that we know 
comparatively little about them. That they all breathe 
by taking water in at the mouth and discharging it 
through their gills, and that they all wag their tails when 
they swim, we know. But of the causes which induce 
the many peculiarities of conduct which continually sur- 
prise and confound the angler, and which we are apt self- 
sufficiently to characterize as mere caprice, we know 
hardly more than did the builders of the Great Pyramid 



126 The American Salmon-fishei'man. 

when they, their daily task completed, cast their baited 
hooks into the yellow waters of the Nile. 

Whether it he due to the " survival of the fittest," or 
whether fish can and do profit hy the lessons of experi- 
ence, no one who has cast his fly over the trout of the 
wilderness, and of much-fished streams within the confines 
of civilization, can have failed to notice the marked differ- 
ence in their susceptibility to temptation. The one will 
take anything that has motion, though thrown to it as 
one would throw a bone to a dog. The other requires 
just such a thing to be tendered in just such a way, or, 
no matter how abundant, they will laugh the angler and 
his wiles to scorn. 

It cannot be because the ordinary perils of life, man 
excepted, are less in the wilderness that their temerity is 
less, since natural enemies are there more abundant. 
Man and his works, or conditions arising therefrom, 
must be the cause. 

However this may be, whether it be due to greater 
natural courage in the salmon, or whether it be due to 
the fact that by its long sojourn in the sea it is cut off 
from the school of experience, it seems certain that sal- 
mon regard the angler and his allurements with far less 
distrust, and that they may be taken with a considerably 
lower display of skill, than the trout of our much-fished 
streams. 

The weight of authority would compel the belief that 
salmon eat nothing after they enter fresh water, were it 
not that they are taken with shrimp, minnow, and worm- 
bait in some rivers where that style of fishing is in vogue. 
Overawed by the first consideration, and ignorant of, or 
ignoring the other, many have puzzled their own heads 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 127 

and those of their neighbors over the question, Why does 
the salmon take the fly ? 

If we are a little more modest in our generalization, 
and say that salmon feed seldom and. sparingly after en- 
tering fresh water, it seems to me we will have a theory 
more easily reconciled v/ith the admitted facts, and one 
in every way quite as serviceable. I have heard that 
that species of man known as a hostler chews a straw, 
and that the card-sharper masticates a toothpick — both 
with no ulterior end in view. But they are no work 
from nature's hand. When animals in a state of nature 
seize an object, they do so, as far as I am advised, for a 
definite purpose. Excluding attack upon or defence 
from an enemy, it is either for food, or to transport 
the object to another place where it may be of use to 
them. No intimation or suggestion has yet reached me 
that salmon apply artificial flies, or anything resembling 
them, to any purpose whatever. It seems much simpler 
and far less of a tax on our credulity, to believe that 
they take them purely and simply as things edible. That 
of the many salmon which see the angler's fly during the 
course of a day's fishing, but comparatively very few in- 
deed can be induced to make the slightest effort to take 
it, seems to me consistent with and confirmatory of the 
position we have assumed; and that the theory that sal- 
mon do feed in fresh water, though sparingly, and that 
when they take the fly they take it as and for food, have 
at least the weight of probability strongly in their favor. 

During this digression let us suppose the angler to 
have jointed his rod and prepared his cast, and that he 
stands upon the river's bank ready for action. 



128 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

Where shall he cast ? The fish are not impartially dis- 
seminated through the water as though scattered from 
a pepper-pot. In some localities they ahound, in some 
they are scarce, while others they avoid altogether. This 
all-important question fortunately admits of a very easy 
answer. Ask the goffer. 

Unless i^ersonally acquainted with the individualities 
of the stream he is about to fish, even the most experi- 
enced is guided in great measure by reference to the 
local knowledge of this functionary. Though an ac- 
quaintance with the haunts of salmon elsewhere will aid 
to locate them in an unfamiliar river, still it makes at 
best but a prima-facie case. Places which seem to fur- 
nish every requisite for a salmon elysium, are shunned 
for others which apparently offer no special inducement. 

Nothing about salmon-fishing will probably astonish 
the experienced trout-fisherman, if unprejDared, more than 
his first introduction to a "salmon-pool." I say probably, 
since it may possibly resemble what he has been accus- 
tomed to call a pool. In his mind the word "pool" calls 
up a vision of a deep dark basin which looks as though it 
might have its bottom almost anywhere this side of China. 
A fall or heavy rapid thunders into its upper end, where 
bubbles of foam are swept hither and thither by a maze 
of eddies bordering a current which projects, tongue-like, 
toward, and dies a quiet death in the centre of the pool. 
Elsewhere the surface is still and oily, reflecting every 
rock, tree, and fern upon its margin with mirror -like 
fidelity. A dim religious light — the light of the cloister 
— ^broods over the scene. The air is cool and damp, and 
laden with the fragrance of the forest. It is the abode of 
peace — so distant from, so opposed to all that makes up 



Salmon-fishing — CatcJmig the Fish. 129 

the daily struggle for life, that it seems part of another 
and distant world. When the past rises before him, what 
angler does not recall many such scenes, and the many 
hours of solemn happiness which have glided by among 
them. They are the chosen home of the very genius of 
our art. 

With such a picture in my mind, and with such an- 
ticipations, I approached ray first salmon-pool. I looked 
upon it with almost a shock of disappointed surprise. 
The water was clear, from three to six feet deep, and 
moving with a current of some three miles an hour, which 
covered the surface with wrinkles an inch or two high. 
The bottom was covered with stones, from the size of a 
nut to a foot or two in diameter, swept clean by the 
current. Below, quite a rapid could be seen; while above, 
the water deepened and became more sluggish. A clay 
bank about eight feet high bounded one side, while on 
the other the water deepened and spread to the opposite 
shore, at least a quarter of a mile distant. It was a most 
humdrum-looking affair, relieved from absolute insipidity 
only by the beauty of the valley and of its distant mar- 
gin of picturesque hills. 

Though salmon, when waiting to ascend some heavy 
fall or rapid, do lie in places which a trout-fisherman 
would call a pool, and though they may be taken there 
with a fly, still the great majority of salmon-pools corre- 
spond in their general features to that described. They 
are in reality more or less gentle rapids, with a clean 
and gravelly bottom partially covered with loose stones, 
boulders, and detached rocks. Deeper and stiller water 
may be immediately above, below, or on either side; or 
bottoms more gravelly, stony, or rocky, and with more 
9 



130 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

or less current, may be close at baud. For some reasons 
known only to themselves, and apparently beyond the 
skill of man to divine, they select and haunt the one, 
while they utterly ignore the other, though seemingly in 
every way preferable. I have conversed with many 
salmon-fishermen in reference to this peculiarity. But I 
have invariably found that those whose opinion was en- 
titled to most weight, were the most reluctant to assign 
a cause. 

But the angler has been dreaming salmon-fishing per- 
haps for months, and he is impatient to begin. He casts 
his eye over the current and its surroundings, as a general 
surveys the field of an anticipated battle. He notes every 
obstruction in or near the water which may become a fac- 
tor in the struggle should he fasten a fish, and as far as 
possible decides in anticipation what he will do in every 
imaginable emergency. 

He then launches his fly in a direction at a right angle 
to tiie current, and guides it to the surface of the water 
as lightly and with as straight a line as his skill will per- 
mit. When the cast is complete his rod will j^oint across 
the current. Retaining the rod in that position, its tip 
still pointing in the same direction, he causes that j)art 
of his rod to vibrate up and down in a perpendicular 
plane through an amplitude of about one foot, and with 
a rapidity of vibration about double that of his pulse. 
When the line where it enters the water appears to 
gently slap its surface at every downward vibration of 
the tip of the rod, the motion is correct. 

The fly is now acted on by three forces: first, the cur- 
rent, tending to sweep it down stream; second, the re- 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 131 

straining power of the line, tending to hold it back; and 
third, the vibratory motion of the tip of the rod. The 
result is that the fly describes an arc of a circle of which 
the tip of the rod is the centre and the line the radius, 
and that it travels this path by a succession of impulses 
and halts, timed by the rate of vibration of the tip of 
the rod. When the fly moves, its motion draws the wings 
and hackle together; when it halts, they expand. Thus 
the parts mentioned seem to open and close something 
like an umbrella, and a very lifelike and attractive ap- 
pearance is given to the fly. 

This is the usual, and perhaps the most effective method 
of displaying a salmon-fly. Some, however, allow the cur- 
rent to swing the fly steadily through its orbit, omitting 
altogether to vibrate the tip, while others impart a rapid 
quiver to the rod, both of which methods are at times 
successful. Indeed, when a particular fish has been lo- 
cated upon the capture of which the angler has set his 
heart, all these methods may be tried in succession with 
profit. " If one thing don't work, try another," is the 
angler's golden rule. The order in which they are enu- 
merated suggests my opinion of the relative merit of 
these different systems. 

When the current has swept the fly until the line 
begins to approach a right-angle with the rod, the tip 
may be swung down stream and in toward the bank. The 
centre of motion is thus changed, and the fly follows a 
new course until the time for a new cast arrives. But per- 
haps a distinct enunciation of the object in view will not 
only be more easily remembered than specific directions, 
but will be also much more elastic and adaptable to local 
circumstances and conditions than any hard-and-fast rules. 



132 



The American SalTnon-Jisherman. 



Now the salmon may lie at one side or the other, or in 
the middle, or in any intermediate part of the pool. There- 
fore that fly which begins its career on the farther side of 
the pool and swings completely across it to the nearer 
side, must pass before the noses of more salmon, and must 
be more likely to encounter one having a taste for fly, 
than if it traversed a more restricted path. The purpose, 
then, is to display the fly over-as much of the surface of 
the pool as is conveniently possible, and to make it swim 
across the current, instead of up or down stream, in so 
doing. The following diagram will illustrate this. 



^^^ 




Fig. 18. 

The arrow shows the direction of the current. 

A represents the angler; AB, the first j^osition of the 



Salmon-Jishing — Catching the Fish. 133 

rod; and\Z>, where the fly lights upon the water. The 
rod is retained in the position A JB until the fly has 
swung through the path IJ E. The rod is then shifted 
to the position A C, and retained there until the fly has 
swung to F, when a third similar change may he made if 
salmon may be expected still nearer the bank. During 
all this time the tip of the rod has been vibrating as 
hereinbefore described, if the angler practises that 
method of displaying his fly. 

That the fly should attract the attention of the fish be- 
fore the leader, and more especially before the line, is ob- 
vious. 

If the current is more rapid nearer the angler than it is 
where the fly lights, the line will be swept down stream 
faster than the fly. A belly is thus thrown in the line 
which will travel first, while the fly will come tagging 
along behind — clearly a very undesirable condition of 
afl'airs. The character of the current in this respect 
should not escape the attention of the angler. If it is 
unequal, to show the fly in an attractive manner to a 
more limited yet appreciative number of spectators, is far 
better than to pass it before the nose of every fish in the 
river, if it be only to excite their derision and contempt 
for the transparency of the fraud. 

Two courses are open to the angler under such circum- 
stances, alike in that they embody the same principle, 
though differing as to the means employed. The object 
is to handicap the line by giving the fly an earlier start 
in the race. This may be done by casting more obliquely 
down stream, or by switching the tip of the rod up 
stream the moment the fly alights on the water, and thus 
throwing the belly of the line up the current. In either 



134 Tlie American Salmon-Jisherman. 

case the fly is so far ahead of the line at the beginning of 
its career, that it cannot be overtaken and passed by the 
line. 

Having completed one fruitless cast, the angler throws 
his fly behind him, and while it is on its backward flight 
he takes a step or two forward, and then repeats the 
effort. It is important that the advance be made either 
at the time indicated or before the fly is taken from the 
water, rather than after the cast is delivered. In the 
first case, his advance aids in straightening out the line 
well behind; in the second, he but loses a little time in 
waiting for the current to take up the slack line before 
he begins his back-cast, and this in barren water; but in 
the third case, his fly will lie impotent and useless, per- 
haps right in the best of the water, until the current has 
straightened the line and command over the fly is re- 
gained. 

After a fish is fastened two methods are open to the 
angler. In one, fish is the main object; in the other, fun. 
Personally I prefer the latter method — at all events after 
having taken the first edge off my appetite by a day or 
two of success. 

In the first case the angler, though always, except in 
an actual crisis, handling the fish as if lightly hooked, 
keeps just as close to it as he can, and gives it no inch of 
line that a vigorous use of his legs will enable him to re- 
tain. He also endeavors to keep below it, for a salmon is 
like a hog — pull it in one direction and it usually tries 
to go in the other, and up stream for a fish is like up hill 
for a horse. 

In the other case, the angler lets the fish run as it sees 
fit, and the farther it goes within the scope of his line, 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 135 

and the more it jumps and " cavorts," the better he likes 
it. When it approaches an obstruction of course he op- 
poses it as best he may. When some more than usually 
persistent effort admonishes him that his line has another 
end than that attached to the leader, he puts his best foot 
forward. Then he flies over stock and stone, in the water 
and out, passing his rod to his gaffer where tooth and nail 
may be required to surmount some unusual difficulty, and 
resuming it when it is overcome, half regretful that he 
was so indulgent, and wholly determined to atone for it 
if any effort short of a broken neck will do it. 

I know of no more interesting study than the face of 
an angler under such circumstances. If a six-story build- 
ing were clattering about his ears he could not show more 
earnestness of purpose, while he forces his way through 
brush, and skips over logs and rocks, as though the mar- 
ket-price of surgeons-plaster and arnica was not affected 
by demand and supply. The most apathetic will then 
display a degree of activity little short of phenomenal. 
He is animated by the spirit of the beaver of the story — 
he does not wish to climb a tree, nature has not designed 
him for that purpose, and he cannot do it; but the boy is 
on one side and the dog is on the Other, so, since no other 
course is open, up he goes. 

Of course the character of the field of battle deter- 
mines to what extent this method may be followed. 
Though there is great excitement, and consequently great 
fun, in seeing how near the ragged edge of defeat can be 
approached without toppling over its brink, and though 
a salmon of twenty pounds, saved after a contest in which 
the scales of fortune have been throughout in constant 
oscillation, is more esteemed than one of twenty - five 



136 The American Salmon -fisher man. 

which has been prematurely scooped from the water by 
a hicky chance and the skill of the gaffer, still it is some- 
what questionable whether we who follow this method 
are justly entitled to plume ourselves as being so much 
more sportsmanlike than those who do not. We take 
m.ore chances, it is true, and we lose more fish; but we 
do the first only when we think we see a clear way out of 
the difiiculty, and the latter is quite involuntary. Really 
the most aesthetic in practice, if not in theory, takes pre- 
cious good care to keep the probabilities of success de- 
cidedly in his favor. 

Thus far our friend has fished from the bank. He will 
hereafter use a canoe; and since the greater part of the 
reader's fishing will probably be so done, and since much 
of what follows will be equally applicable to fishing from 
the bank, and where it is not that fact will be quite ob- 
vious, we will conclude in that way. 

The angler seats himself near the middle of the canoe 
upon a box or other improvised seat. It will grow no 
softer with use, and he will by no means regret it if 
he has provided some form of cushion, though it be but 
an old flour-bag to be stuffed with moss or hay. Both 
ends of the canoe are alike in form, and either may and 
will be used as the bow as convenience may require. 
Still, since a name is necessary, we will call the end he 
faces the stern. His gaffer occupies that end, his paddle, 
gaff, and setting-pole within convenient reach. He is the 
captain, and with hirn alone will the angler habitually 
communicate and consult, and to him pay the hire of 
men and boat. The bow is the station of one usually the 
junior in years and exjjerience of the gaffer, to whom he 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 137 

looks for his orders, and with whom alone he will con- 
verse, unless directly addressed. 

The canoe is pushed from the bank. The gaffer con- 
sults his employer as to the pools which are disengaged, 
and advises him, in the absence of positive orders, which 
one to try first. 

When the head of the pool is reached the gaffer 
directs his subordinate to anchor; which being done as 
quietly as possible, he seats himself on the bottom of the 
canoe so as to be out of the angler's way, facing its 
stern. A few moments should be suffered to elapse for 
any alarm occasioned by the approach of the canoe to 
subside — an interval very appropriate to freshly charging 
and lighting the pipe of him that smokes. 

Studying the current as before, and being guided by 
the same general principles, we will assume that the 
current permits the first cast to be delivered almost at a 
right angle to the canoe. 

In the following diagram the arrow shows the direc- 
tion of the current; A is the angler, B the gaffer, and 
O the subordinate. A D \s the position of the rod at 
the completion of the first cast, and ^ where the fly then 
lights. The rod is retained in that position, with the tip 
a little, and but a little, elevated above the horizontal, 
until the current has swept the fly to F, during which 
the tip is vibrated as before if the angler adopts that 
method of displaying his fly. 

When the fly reaches F the rod is shifted to the po- 
sition A G, and vibrated until the fly reaches If. The 
fly has thus traversed the pool from F to JT, and the 
first cast is complete. Since the casting was toward the 
left, the rod was thrown behind over the right shoulder, 



188 



Tlie American Salmon-fisUerman, 



'K 



'■E 



Bi- ...». 




.// 



Fie-. 19. 



Salmon-fisJdng — CatcMng the Fish. 



139 



the right hand was above the reel, and the left was upon 
the butt. He now changes hands, grasping the butt 
with the right hand, the left above the reel, and, throw- 
ing his rod over the left shoulder for the back-cast, 
delivers his fly at I, guides it around to the vicinity of F, 
in the .manner already described. The second cast is 
now complete, and the fly has swept the pool from ^to 
I. Though this, if well done, will usually be sufficient 
to demonstrate the presence or absence of a fish inclined 




Fig. 20. 

to rise, still it may be repeated once. Beyond this it is 
seldom worth while to go, unless some resting-place es- 
pecially favored by the fish is under the cast. 

The hands are now shifted as before, the line length- 
ened six or eight feet, and the fly delivered at JS^, and 
the first process is repeated in all things until the fly has 
been displayed from I^to a point beyond I; and this is 
repeated again and again, in default of a rise, until all 
the line is out that the angler can conveniently swing. 



140 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

The fly will then have traversed the pool from a line 
A abreast the canoe on one side (see preceding figure), 
to a line B abreast of the canoe on the other side, fol- 
lowing a succession of circular arcs G in so doing, of 
which the angler is the centre, and the respective radii of 
which are the length of the rod plus the quantity of line 
in use at the time. Thus every fish in that quite extended 
area has had a chance at the fly and can complain of no par- 
tiality on the part of the angler, which is the end in view. 

Having thus described with his fly the most distant 
arc conveniently possible,* he begins to reel in. Instantly 

* The longest cast of record witli a salmon-rod in this country is 
131 feet, by Mr. H.W. Hawes, at Central Park, October, 1884, with an 
eighteen-foot split-bamboo rod. In England, Major J. P. Traherne is 
credited with a cast of 136 feet. Mr. Hawes stood about 30 feet from 
the bank, upon a platform raised one foot above the water, and cast 
parallel with the shore. He was credited only with the actual dis- 
tance which intervened between the edge of the platform and where 
his fly struck the water, measured upon a graduated rope stretched 
perfectly straight, close beside which he cast. A very few inches 
Avould mark the limit of possible error. Since we are informed 
that the distance credited to Major Traherne was determined, not 
by the distance he actually covered, but by the distance which it 
was assumed that he had covered determined by straightening his 
line and measuring that, I am decidedly inclined to regard Mr. 
Hawes' cast as the longer. Of all the fly-casting I have ever seen, I 
consider this performance of Mr. Hawes as the most remarkable. 
Not so much does the enormous length of the cast induce this opin- 
ion, as the manner in which it was done, and the physique of the 
man who did it. Mr. Hawes was at that time a man of very slender 
build, and with a wrist as slight as that of a woman. Rod and line 
worked in his hands with the precision of a faxiltless machine. 
Even when at the extreme of his cast, his back-fly was some 25 feet 
above tlie water. Taking all the circumstances into consideration, 
it was certainly a most remarkable triumph of skill over matter. 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 141 

the gaffer gives the order, the anchor is raised clear of 
the bottom, the canoe drops down with the current until 
the gaffer thinks the first cast made from the new position 
will just match on to the last cast from the othei", when 
he orders the anchor down, and the fishing is resumed in 
the same manner. Thus by alternately anchoring and 
dropping the canoe down with the current, the pool is 
fished from end to end — a distance which may possibly 
be a hundred yards or even more. 

Let us assume, as is often the case, that no salmon has 
been raised during this excursion. But many trout have 
assuredly been taken. Though this will give little plea- 
sure, since trout in a salmon-stream are like chubs in a 
trout-stream — mere vermin — still it may and should be 
made of great value to the trout-fisherman. The greater 
his experience and past success in trout-fishing with the 
fly, the more need has he of the lesson which may then 
be learned. 

The moment the skilled trout-fisherman sees a dis- 
turbance in the water near his fly, he retracts it — he 
"strikes" as instinctively and with as little conscious 
special volition as when he breathes. 

This habit, however excellent in trout-fishing, is a fatal 
error in salmon-fishing, and must be overcome. When a 
salmon so rises as to disturb the surface of the water, it 
manifests its presence long before it has touched the fly. 
If the angler then strikes, in the trout-fisher's sense of the 
term, he simply snatches the fly from the astonished fish, 
which will probably return to its lair in a state of disgust 
which no subsequent blandishment will remove. 

Possibly some of the more wicked of us have in our 
boyhood placed an attractive package in the way of 



143 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

passers-by, upon which we still maintained a lien through 
a string leading to our place of concealment. The way- 
farer eyes the lucky find and stoops to make it his, when 
it vanishes under his fingers in obedience to a timely 
jerk upon the cord. Any one who has been once so 
fooled will appreciate the feelings of the salmon when 
treated in the same manner, and those who have not can 
easily imagine them. The cases are exactly pai-allel. 

The beginner, then, should vow in the most solemn 
manner that he will not strike, and avail himself of every 
opportunity which the trout may offer to school himself 
into making his resolution good. It is no easy matter to 
overcome a habit which has become instinctive. He will 
find that even with the promise warm upon hig \\^b he 
will break it; and that while blaming himself and re- 
newing his assurances, he will repeat the offence, until he 
is uttei-ly ashamed of and disgusted with himself. But 
perseverance conquers all things, this habit included. 

There is a wide divergence of opinion among .salmon- 
experts as to whether the fish should be struck or not, 
some advocating it, while others equally skilled protest 
against it as pernicious. But it seems to me this differ- 
ence is apparent rather than real. Certainly no one 
would counsel the demonstration of the trout-fisherman — 
that is, a sudden retraction of the fly — at the first indica- 
tion of the near presence of the fish. I believe just as 
few would oppose an effort to imbed the hook after it 
was actually in the salmon's mouth. The advocates of 
the first method seem to address their attention to the 
time when the salmon actually has the fly in his mouth, 
and say " Strike by all means." The others appear to 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 143 

consider the period before the fly has been grasped, and 
say " To strike is ruin." But if pressed, both will proba- 
bly agree — the one that they by no means wish to be 
understood to counsel the strike before the fish has taken 
the fly, and the others that a moderate demonstration, if 
postponed till then, can do no harm. 

After collating and comparing what I have read, what 
I have heard, and what I have done, it seems to me that 
the beginner who is guided by the following precepts 
cannot go far wrong. 

That a salmon-rod is moved in fishing very much less 
than a trout-rod, which is in almost constant motion, that 
the casts are much less frequent, and that it is held in a 
much more horizontal position v/hen the fly is working, 
have probably been already remarked. Now if it be re- 
solved that no matter what a salmon may do, even though 
h.e stand on his nose and direct his tail to every point of 
the compass in succession — that under no circumstances 
will the angler respond in any way until the tip of the 
rod is pulled down or line is drawn from the reel; and 
that then he will limit himself merely to raising the rod — 
or rather act as though that was the intention, when the 
result will be that the rod will bend and double up — he 
will not only have done all in the way of striking which 
is either necessary or advisable, but he will have followed 
the actual practice of the majority of those who advocate 
as well as of those who deprecate the strike. 

When the tip of the rod is pulled downward, or when 
line is drawn from the reel, since both are inanimate, 
some extrinsic force must be the cause. That cause must 
be the salmon; and since it has no other prehensile organ, 
the fly must then be in its mouth. If we then bend the 



144 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

rod, which is necessarily the result of an effort on our 
part to lift it since the salmon holds the end of the tip 
down, its action as what a mechanic might term an 
automatic pressure-regulator comes in play. This is one 
of the most valuable functions of the fly-rod; and, if it 
has a good even bend, it is almost as perfect an instru- 
ment within its sphere as is the human hand in its wider 
range of usefulness. If it has not been done before, 
every effort to release the fly after the bend has been 
given to the rod will usually be futile. If the point of 
the hook is already in contact with the tissue, ths elas- 
ticity of the rod holds it there; while if not, it will prob- 
ably find a hold on its way out of the fish's mouth. 

Here we find another reason for the course already ad- 
vised in selecting a rod — that the rod be actually bent in 
the shop, and that a true curve be insisted on. Not only 
in casting the fly is such a rod superior to one defective 
in this particular, but also in the most important function 
of bridging over by its elasticity the intervals when the 
angler has, through some unexpected movement of the 
fish, for the moment lost command of his line. It is only 
after a fish has altered its course that the angler can de- 
tect the motion, and were the rod stiff the line would be 
slack until the angler perceived the change and could 
meet it by resorting to his reel. But though the angler 
cannot, the rod can detect the manoeuvi'e at its very in- 
ception, and by its elasticity neutralize the danger and 
give the angler time to checkmate it. 

A rod which bends only at the tip can pick up but a 
very limited quantity of slack line; while one which 
bends locally instead of uniformly has but the elasticity 
of the bending portion available for the emergency, in- 



Salmon- fisldng — Catching the Fish. 145 

stead of the elasticity of the entire rod. It is clear, 
therefore, that that rod which shows a true curve 
throughout its length must be the most efficient in this 
important respect. 

Salmon and trout differ widely in their methods of 
taking the artificial fly. The trout dashes at the fly, 
seizes it, detects the fraud, and ejects it, all in an instant. 
The time when its presence is manifest and the time 
when it has the fly in its mouth, are substantially syn- 
chronous. The salmon usually attacks with much more 
deliberation. It rises above the fly, making the water 
boil in the act, before touching it. After the fly has 
been taken, though the flavor may not be all that has 
been anticipated, still it thinks there is time enough to 
pass on that after it has returned with the fly to its lair. 
Neither in taking the fly, nor in ejecting it, does it ex- 
hibit the prompt resolution of the trout, though after 
that there is little lack of enterprise to complain of. 
Since then the preliminary gymnastics of the salmon may 
be so easily mistaken for the subsequent stage of its pro- 
ceedings when it has actually seized the fly, and since a 
little procrastination on the part of the angler does no 
harm, error, if any, should be on the side of the latter. 
If he strikes at the rise as he would with a trout, he can 
say good-by to that fish, for he will see it no more; 
while if he does absolutely nothing whatever, the salmon 
will hook itself, because of its manner of taking the fly, 
more than half the time. 

I have dwelt on this point at sufficient length, I trust, 

to impress its importance upon the beginner. The greater 

his skill and experience as a trout-flsherman, the more 

certain he is to err in this respect if left to his own de- 

10 



146 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

vices. In all else his previous schooling will be invalu- 
able, but in this matter the difference is radical. It is an 

absolute condition-precedent to success. 

There is another caution to be borne in mind. Keep 
the hands off the line at all times when the fly is upon 
the water. With a long line and a weak click, it may be 
necessary to hold the line when picking the fly off the 
water for the back-cast. But the moment the fly touches 
the water again, the line should be free to run without the 
slightest check. It must be borne in mind that in the 
method of fishing herein described, and believed to be 
the most seductive, the rod is held so nearly horizontal 
that at times the line makes but a small angle with it. 
If a salmon then takes the fly, and the line is held so that 
it cannot render, a sharp heavy jerk is given against an 
almost rigid resistance. The fly will then be taken from 
the leader as you would pick a berry from a bush — a 
state of affairs in which it is blessed neither to give nor 
to receive. If the tip of the rod is habitually well ele- 
vated so that the line leads from it at an approximation 
to a right angle, the practice of holding the line against 
the handle is not so reprehensible. The elasticity of the 
rod will then so soften the asperity of the jerk that it 
may be withstood. But even then I cannot see that it 
serves any useful purpose, while, should the salmon make 
a sudden run before the line is released, disaster is cer- 
tain. 

In salmon-fishing the fly is worked below rather than 
on the surface. It may be taken either with no apparent 
disturbance of the water, or in the middle of a boil, as 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 147 

though a volcano was about to burst forth; or the salmon 
may roll like a porpoise, throwing itself more or less out 
of water, seizing the fly as it turns, and bearing it down- 
ward with it, I shall never forget one which rose as 
though propelled from a gun, took my fly e?^ route, and 
soared through the air like an aci'obat with it in its 
mouth. Appearances are often deceitful, but at the 
moment it seemed to my astonished eyes about ten feet 
long, and as though it was just from a polishing-wheel. 

Any one of these demonstrations, except the latter, 
may occur without the fly being touched. Though it is 
then usual to say that the salmon has missed the fly, it 
seems to me a misuse of the term. I have too profound 
a respect for the physical ability of the salmon to believe 
that an earnest endeavor on its part to take the fly is 
ever attended with failure, unless it be in very heavy 
water. When the fly is not taken, it seems to me quite 
safe to consider it a case of change of purpose rather 
than an abortive effort, and to act accordingly. Then 
work the fly in the spot where the rise occurred, drawing 
it up stream about a foot, and allowing the current to set 
it back, and this for about ten or twelve seconds. This 
will sometimes act like a red rag on a bull, and tantalize 
the fish into fresh and decisive action. But the probabil- 
ity is that something is wrong about the fly, or that a 
sight of the angler or his rod has done the mischief. Do 
not then cast at it again, or reel in the line, but draw it 
through the rings, allowing the slack to fall on the bot- 
tom of the canoe, until the fly can be reached. Thus the 
exact range of the fish will be preserved, which would 
have become a matter of guesswork had the line been 
taken in by the reel in the usual manner. Change the 



148 The American Salmon-fisher man. 

fly to a smaller one of the same variety, allow three 
minutes by the watch to elapse if the fish is small, and 
five if it is large, and then have at him again. 

Do not cast at the fish, but off to one side so that the 
current will swing the fly over it as before. Indeed, un- 
less the angler is really a first-rate caster, and unless 
every condition favors a really pretty cast, I doubt the 
expediency of ever casting directly at a fish where the 
current is such that a fly cast to one side will be swept 
over it. A current is an able ally, and it and the angler 
combined can present the fly in a far more attractive 
manner than can either alone. 

Should the fly be again refused,* into the canoe with it 
as before, change to one quite different in appearance, 
rest the fish once more, and then tender the new fly in 
the same manner. This can be continued until either the 
angler or the fish has had enough of it, for the angler 
may be morally certain that the salmon has returned to 
and will remain at the place from which he first rose. 
While it is quite true that a salmon will at times take a 
fly it has risen to, but otherwise ignored, without any in- 
terval of rest between the casts beyond such as is neces- 
sarily incidental thereto, still if such a cast does fail, it is 
pretty certain to change the suspicions of the fish into a 
settled distrust which every subsequent effort to remove 
will be futile. The other method, it is believed, will be 
found far more profitable in the long-run. 

There is nothing in salmon-fishing more interesting, at 
least to me, than a direct issue of this kind. The capture 
of no other fish of anything like its size gives the pleas- 

1 

* See p. 101, ct seq. 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 149 

ure of one which is the successful result of such a con- 
test, since the angler may regard it as due to his own 
skill, and as unalloyed by any mere fluke of fortune. 
Should, however, half or three quarters of an hour be thus 
spent in vain, — offering each fly but once, and every time 
with an interval of rest between, — he may as well give it 
up and fish the pool down to its end. Then, if nothing- 
has been taken, and after the lapse of an hour or so, if 
the old locality be approached with the greatest caution, 
a different issue will often result. 

Sometimes a wake like that of a steamboat will follow 
the fly, though no fish be visible. It is a sure indication 
of the presence of a salmon, and a quite reliable symptom 
from which to infer its state of mind. Either the fly is 
too large, or too conspicuous, or the fish has seen the 
angler or his rod. In any event, it is safe to conclude 
that mistrust governs its conduct. Then let the angler 
sit if he has be.en standing, change his fly to a smaller 
one of the same kind, cast in the direction and with the 
same length of line as before, and work his rod as near 
the water as is conveniently possible. It is not always 
easy to induce better conduct on the part of a salmon 
which has thus misbehaved; still that it may sometimes 
be done justifies the effort. 

Though the normal condition of the salmon is not one 
of such chronic distrust as that of the trout, yet it will do 
no harm to act as though such was the case, and as though 
the rule was the exception and the exception was the 
rule. The best fish are the most wary, and he who best 
disguises the connection between his fly and his leader, 
and who keeps himself and his rod most out of sight, will 
be the most successful. 



150 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

After a salmon is fastened, though its play is horse- 
play — yes, wild-horse-play — compared to that of a trout, 
the skilled trout-fisherman will feel no apprehension that 
the struggle will eventuate in his disfavor. It is not till 
taught by the logic of events that he learns that one is 
never sure of a salmon until it has been knocked on the 
head. When a trout takes a fly it is usually in earnest, 
and, if the angler is prompt to respond, a good solid hold 
for the hook is generally secured. It seems to me that 
this is nothing nearly so likely to be the case in salmon- 
fishing/ The hold of the hook is often by but a mere 
shred of skin, and he who assumes that his lien on each 
fish depends upon a no more secure tenure will find his 
profit therein. 

The same patient skill and the very same tactics that 
worry the stanchest trout to exhaustion, will conquer the 
largest salmon. More time will be required, and more 
promptness, coolness, and resolution, but the process is 
the same. 

Two defences are almost as common to the salmon as 
the fins on their back, which trout employ but sparingly. 
They jump and they "jig" with an energy that leaves 
nothing to be desired — except that they will stop. 

A notion prevails that when a fish jumps from the 
water it may fall on the leader and pai't it unless the line 
is slacked — indeed some claim this to be the very object 
of the manoeuvre. I am quite at a loss to see how this 
miracle is to be performed. Should a man rigidly secure 
one end of a rope long enough to reach the ground, and 
tie the other around his waist, and should he then jump 
from a window, by what conceivable gyration conducted 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 151 

in mid-air can he part the rope ? To break a rope, or a 
leader, action and reaction — a pull and a rigid resistance 
to pull against — are equally necessary. 

Again, the voice of authority is almost a unit in assert- 
ing, if not that the leap of the salmon is an effort to strike 
the leader with its tail, at all events that if it does suc- 
ceed in so striking the leader it will surely be broken. 
Though this is not absurd upon its face like the other, 
still I am by no means convinced that it is much more 
likely to haj)pen. By no preliminary remarks does the 
salmon advise the angler that it is about to spring into 
the air. The whole performance is begun and ended so 
quickly that it is difficult to say just what does take place. 
But 1 have never been able to see a salmon slash its tail 
about when in the air, in a manner which would imperil 
a leader in the slightest degree. The supreme effort is 
that which impels it into the air. After that the motion 
of its tail is Avithin very narrow limits when measured 
from side to side. Certainly a line more or less sub- 
merged in water, with a curve already in it from the 
motion of the fish or the current, and backed by a flexi- 
ble rod, can stand being pushed aside a few inches with- 
out any great danger to its integrity. 

As far as I know, the authorities all advise — nay insist 
— that when a salmon jumps the tip of the rod should be 
lowered or the leader will be broken. That the line is 
thus slackened near the fish so that it must attack a loose 
rather than a tight line, is the theory as I understand it. 

I disagree with this, not only for the reasons already 
given, but for others as well. Between the angler and the 
fish intervenes the current, always greedy for slack line. 
The leap of a salmon is begun and ended in less than two 



152 The American Salmon-jisherman. 

seconds by tlie watch. Such slack as the lowering of the 
rod may give is at once appropriated by the current, and 
whatever share the fish may gain must first be won from 
the current. This takes time. We do not fish by elec- 
tricity — at least not yet. 

In short, unless the fish is close at hand, I cannot see 
how any demonstration that the angler can make by low- 
ering the tip of his rod after the leap of the salmon has 
begun, can by any possibility be transmitted to the scene 
of action in time to affect the result in the slightest 
degree. 

The cardinal rule for playing fish of all kinds to a suc- 
cessful issue is — Jceep a tight line; nor can I regard the 
leap of a salmon as justifying a depai-ture from this rule. 
For a long time it has been my practice to do absolutely 
nothing under such circumstances, except to look on and 
admire, unless the fish is very near — say twenty yards or 
less. Then I sometimes do lower the rod a little — not 
because I fear the fish will fall on the leader or break it 
with its tail, but simply because it may require more line 
to reach the place where it regains the water, and as the 
demand is sudden it may be well to aid the click a little. 
In so doing either I have been singularly fortunate, or I 
am justly entitled to claim that the fallacy of the time- 
honored theory and practice has been demonstrated. 

Of all the performances of the salmon' which the 
angler must encounter, none demoralizes me like "jig- 
ging." I am not aware that it is so especially danger- 
ous, but its moral effect is immense all the same. For 
every other move of the salmon the angler has an active 
response, but against this passive endurance is his only 



Salmon-fisJiioig — Catching the Fish. 153 

resource. How it is done I have never been able satis- 
factorily to determine, but it feels exactly as though 
some one was giving a series of short heavy jerks to the 
line at intervals of three or four seconds apart. This 
may continue for a minute or more without a break. 
Sometimes I have thought it was caused by the fish 
opening and then closing its mouth with a sudden em- 
phasis — gasping, so to speak. Again I have attributed 
it to its swinging its head ^ from side to side. It oc- 
curs not when the fish is running, but when it sulks — 
when it sticks to the bottom as though it was glued there, 
and defies every effort of the angler to move it. Under 
these circumstances how promptly does the first jig para- 
lyze the angler's efforts ! So sudden, so powerful, so un- 
like anything in the ordinary course of procedure is it; 
so well calculated to break the salmon's neck, and stave 
the angler's tackle all to pieces does it seem, that the 
aggressive is at once abandoned for the timid defensive, 
and doubt and anxiety rule the hour. 

Again and again has Uncle Remus's story of the Terra- 
pin come into my mind when so engaged. 

" ' What ails yer now. Brer Terrapin ? ' says Brer Fox, 
sezee. 

" ' Tuck a walk de udder day, en man came along an 
sot de fiel afire. Lor, Brer Fox, you dunner wat trubble 
is,' sez Brer Terrapin, sezee. 

" ' How you git out de fire. Brer Terrapin ? ' sez Brer 
Fox, sezee. 

" ' Sot en tuck it. Brer Fox,' sez Brer Terrapin; ' sot en 
tuck it.' " 

When a salmon jigs, I can recommend no other or bet- 
ter course than to follow the example of " Brer Terrapin." 



154 The American Salmon-Jishe^'maii. 

Perhaps what remains to be said may be best presented 
in narrative form, since a recapitulation of the points al- 
ready given may be included, and the whole process of 
taking a salmon may be described as a unit. Though 
some of the events here combined really occurred on dif- 
ferent occasions, still the tale is true to nature in every 
particular, and no pains shall be spared to make it typical 
— indeed that it might really be typical is the sole reason 
why it is not confined to any one single experience in its 
entirety. 

With Tom, the presiding genius, in the stern, the 
angler in the middle, and Peter in the bow, the canoe is 
anchored at the head of a " salmon -pool." The water is 
from three to six feet deep, clear as crystal, and flowing 
at the rate of perhaps three miles an hour over a clean 
stony and gravelly bottom. On the right, as the angler 
faces down stream, the bank is perhaps a hundred feet 
distant, while on the other side an unbroken expanse of 
more or less rapid, and in places deeper water, extends 
to an island a quarter of a mile distant. A heavy rapid, 
with waves about two feet high, terminates the pool 
below, while above the water differs but little from that 
of the "pool" itself. 

Again and again has the canoe been dropped down 
wdth the current to afford the angler a fresh field upon 
which he may display his fly, but without result. At 
last, " when he least expects it most," the water boils in 
the neighborhood of his "Silver Doctor," his heart gives 
a bound, and then seems to stop its action, for the fly is 
untouched. For a few seconds he moves the fly in the 
subsiding swirl, hoping the fish may turn and take it, but 



Salmon-jishing — Catching the Fish. 155 

hoping in vain. The line is then drawn through the 
rings — not reeled in — the slack falling on the bottom of 
the canoe, until the fly is regained.* 

"A fine fish," says Tom, with a disappointed air; "a 
fine fish altogether — altogether a fine fish," for repetition 
is an Indian's idea of rhetorical emphasis. "Now we 
rest him little bit — give him little fly, p'raps we get him 
anyhow." 

Out comes the watch, and five minutes, each seemingly 
of abnormal length, are allowed to elapse. Then the 
angler begins again, cast following cast over barren 
water, until the slack line is all out, and the exact range 
of the rise is again in hand. Then follows a cast about 
twenty feet to one side of the appointed spot, and a 
smaller "Silver Doctor" careers in a most appetizing 
manner across the pool, passing in its orbit over the" 
place where the rise occurred. 

The fish does not take it, though he acknowledges its 
presence, as the disturbed state of the water shows. In 
with the fiy, rest him five minutes more; and try him 
with a " Jock Scott." He will not take it. Rest him 
again, and try a " Black Dose." It is in vain. We fish 
over him, as if he did not exist, and finish off the pool. 
It has been covered to its very foot without result, and 
three quarters of an hour or more have elapsed. Then, 
making a wide circuit, we anchor well above where we 
had the rise, and casting but once to each side with a 
given length of line, we gradually work down till our old 
antagonist is within reach. 



* More than one fly is seldom used in Salmon -fishing on this side 
of the Atlantic. 



156 TTie American Salmon-fisherman. 

The fly sweeps over him, he' rolls, he seizes it, and bears 
it downward with him. A few yards of line draw slowly 
from the reel, to the free action of which no impediment 
is offered. The rod is raised to meet the demonstration 
that we know, though he seems so indifferent now, will 
not be long postponed. The anchor is at once lifted, and 
the canoe is brought in close against the bank. 

All is suspense — what is he about to do ? for so far he 
has acted as though the fly had been quite forgotten. 
The inexperienced may wonder at his apparent apathy, 
but he who has been there before feels as though the 
heavens were about to fall, and waits for them to come. 
It comes; slowly the reel speaks — faster — faster — the 
handle becomes but a blur of light, and the voice of the 
click rises to a scream. The line melts away from the 
reel like salt in water, and the coil that was nearly four 
inches in diameter is now three — two — one — will he never 
stop ? " Go for liim, Tom — go for him, or the beggar 
will break us !" And the canoe starts in pursuit with all 
the speed two powerful paddles can impart. 

When scarcely ten yards out of the hundred and twenty- 
four remain in reserve, away across the river a fragment 
of silver, apparently about a foot long, soars into the air, 
and falls back into the water with a splash. The line 
ceases to be withdrawn, and, taking immediate advantage 
of the possibility, it is recovered as rapidly as the handle 
of the reel can be manipulated, yet with every precaution 
that each turn is distributed evenly and solidly on the 
spool. For this is but the overture of the opera, so to 
speak, and again and again will the line be snatched from 
us until almost the bare axle of the reel appears. 

Thus two thirds of the line are recovered, and the 



Sahnon-fisJiing — Catching the Fish. 157 

angler breathes again — supporting his rod, doulbled up 
under all the strain he dares impart, with the butt against 
his body. 

Again the fish starts — this time up stream, the reel 
shrieking as it parts with the line. Wild is the angler's 
joy, to be succeeded by doubt, and then by anxiety as the 
quantity of line in reserve grow's less and less, and the 
fish seems to. have no idea of stopping. A second time 
the canoe is forced to follow, and once more the fish con- 
cludes his run by bounding into air once — twice — thrice. 

Again the line is recovered all but about thirty yards, 
when away he starts across the river, if possible more 
rabid than ever, finishing with another jump or two. The 
line is then recovered almost altogether, never omitting, 
no matter how hurriedly the act may be performed, so to 
distribute it upon the spool that it will be free to render 
again without the slightest hitch. 

Then Tom says, " We will have to take him through the 
rapids — no landing-place here." 

That the fish will take us up on some of the neighbor- 
ing hills seems fully as probable, but the effort must be 
made. The canoe is run into an eddy, then shoved into 
the quick water, and down we go bounding like a cork 
over the waves at the mercy of the fierce current. 

The fish follows quietly, as though he liked it; but no, 
he has changed his mind; he dashes down stream and 
obliquely across it with the speed of a race-horse — at 
least it seems so, for the whizzing line trends in that 
direction. But what is that? Away up above us and 
half across the river, a salmon bolts into the air. "Did 
you see that, Tom? — we'll go for that fellow when we 
finish with this one." How Tom laughs ! — and it is not 



158 The American Salmon-fisherman. 

without protracted effort that he finally forces us to be- 
lieve that that was the fish we are fast to. It is so very 
far off, and in so different a direction from that indicated 
by the bending rod and the running line, that it seems im- 
possible that it can be so, though so it is. 

So the canoe drops down with the swift current, halting 
at times as the fish becomes very obstreperous, and then 
resuming its course. And the salmon follows, sometimes 
freely, sometimes reluctantly, and sometimes in absolute 
rebellion compelling us to let him have his own way for 
a time. 

We near a landing-place. The canoe is brought to the 
bank, and we take to the shore with every precaution that 
the pressure is not slackened upon the line for an instant, 
and that the foot makes no slip on the smooth stones. 

The fish now exhibits symptoms of discouragement, 
and gradually yields until he is not forty feet from the 
bank. But there he draws the line, and not another foot 
will he yield. Were he changed to one of the rocks im- 
bedded in the bottom of the stream he could not seem 
more immovable. It is a case of the " sulks." 

The rod, which heretofore has been kept in an approxi- 
mately perpendicular plane, is now held almost horizon- 
tally that the strain may as far as possible coincide with 
the direction in which we wish to move the fish. The 
bend of the rod, however, and the tension it imparts to 
the line remain unchanged. We walk down below him 
fifteen or twenty feet. This disturbs his equilibrium. 
He turns his head toward the strain for a moment's res- 
pite, and instantly the implacable current sets him down 
and inshore. As we feel him yield we walk back from 
the water, thus keeping up the tension. He struggles and 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 159 

regains control of himself, when we first walk toward the 
bank taking in the line we have gained, and then move 
down stream as before. Again we work below him with 
the same result, and again, and again. He is now not 
twenty feet from the bank.* 

But clearly he is now of the mind that this thing has 
gone quite far enough, for he is as immovable as the 
everlasting hills. Ten — fifteen — twenty minutes pass, and 
it is still "pull Dick, pull Devil." Our arms now ache as 
though they would di'op off at the elbow-joint. " Stone 
him, Tom — do something — I can't stand this much longer." 
So Tom tosses in stone after stone — none of them large 
and none of them thrown with violence, lest they strike 
and part the leader — seemingly without effect. 

At last the reel begins to move. It speaks slowly at 

* At this point in tlie contest the angler may with profit recall 
that law of mechanics, which teaches that the resistance offered by 
the click to the withdrawal of the line varies with the diameter of 
the coil of line on the reel. With my own reel, for example, when 
this diameter is one inch, the salmon must, to gain another foot, 
pull three pounds ; while when the fish is but thirty or forty feet 
from the tip, a pull of half a pound only is necessary. Sulkiness in 
a salmon is no more agreeable than a like manifestation in a child. 
When the salmon is close at hand, then, it is well to remonstrate 
with a little more firmness than the unaided resistance of the click 
will permit. This is best done by supporting the rod with one hand, 
and gently pinching the line above the reel with the thumb and fore- 
finger of the other. The pressure should but add say a pound to 
the resistance of the click, not check the line absolutely. The mo- 
ment the salmon evinces a change of tactics, the line should be re- 
leased. 

Where fish run twenty pounds or over, a socket at the waist to 
support the butt of the rod will add greatly to the comfort of the 
angler during a protracted contest. 



160 The American Sahnon-Jisherman. 

first, like the pendulum of a clock — you can count each 
tooth of the ratchet-wheel hy the sound — then faster — 
faster, till again it screams, and the line wilts away upon 
the reel like dew before the sun, 

" Quick — the canoe — the canoe," and we shamble down 
the bank, one eye on the fast vanishing line, and one 
upon the slippery path we are forced to follow. At last, 
at the very crisis of possible defeat, the canoe reaches us. 
We tumble in, and are off after a fish apparently as fresh 
as at the very outset. 

For another half -hour we fight him from the canoe, 
working him down stream, he running, jumping, and 
sulking, until we land again on the other side of the river 
three-quarters of a mile below where we first took to the 
bank. 

We again try to work him in by the same tactics, but 
our first effort comes to a stand at once. He begins to 
"jig" — ^ series of short, heavy, and sudden jerks fill us 
full with apprehension, and it is plain we must wait his 
pleasure still. He stops, and we begin. He begins, and 
we stop. At last he yields, and gradually step by step 
swings in toward the bank. Slowly Tom approaches, 
gaff in hand, no part of him in motion except his feet. 
The salmon is now a pretty sick fish, and again and again 
rolls upon his side, though recovering himself almost im- 
mediately. 

He sees Tom. At once he recovers and is off again. 
But the pristine vigor of his rush is no longer there. He 
can take no more than half the line before his failing 
strength compels a halt. So we follow him down the 
bank, coaxing him in when we can, letting him go when 
we cannot, playing the great game of give and take. 



Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. lei 

Once more we work hira in short, showing increased 
signs of distress. But again he sees Tom — it is wonder- 
ful how the salmon hate him — and again he is off. But 
we ai'e at the end of the landing-place, and so heavy a 
fish could not be drawn up against the current though he 
should remain ^serfectly passive. We must take to the 
canoe, and try him again at the next landing-place, some 
half-mile farther down. 

He is quite discouraged now, and does as he is oid with 
little remonstrance. We land again, and though he sulks 
some, we work him slowly in without difficulty. Tom 
anticipates about where he will arrive, and motionless 
awaits him gaff in hand. Peter hunts for a long thin 
stone. The exhausted fish rolls on his side, when a well- 
timed impulse of the rod slews him still nearer the shore 
and within reach. Like a flash the cruel gaff is around his 
backbone, he lies on the bank, the lad hammers him on 
the head with the stone, the scales show thirty-two 
pounds, and we drop the rod and sprawl out on the bank 
utterly exhausted, after a contest of one hour and fifty 
minutes. 

Now that it is written I find that I have departed some- 
what in this narrative from my original purpose. Though 
the leading features of all are more or less alike, still every 
capture of a salmon has its individualities. To where we 
made the first landing our narrative is strictly typical, and 
its counterpart has occurred and will occur again and 
again to every salmon-angler when fishing in a similar 
locality. There a picture, the most vivid of my recollec- 
tions of salmon-fishing, rose before me, and I uncon- 
sciously drifted into describing a pai'ticular incident — 
the capture of my largest fish. Though every salmon 
11 



162 TJie A/rnerican Salmon -fisherman. 

does not weigh thirty-two pounds, and though every sal- 
mon does not show such undaunted resolution for so long 
a time, still perhaps it will be as well to let it stand. 
The difference will be rather in quantity than quality, 
and moreover the case teaches an important supplement- 
ary lesson well worthy to be borne in mind. This fish 
was treated from the first as though lightly hooked. Any 
other course must have been fatal, since the moment it 
touched the bank the hook dropped from its mouth. 

Such is salmon-fishing. If there is greater fun in this 
vale of tears I do not know it. Better fortune I can- 
not wish the reader, than that in sound health and with 
sound tackle he may in the near future fasten a forty- 
pouuder, and bring him safely to gaff after a contest in 
which each party thereto has striven to the uttermost for 
the victory. 



INDEX. 



Action of salmon-rods, 31, 144. 
Advertising for salmon-fishing, 13. 
American salmon-rivers, 10. 
Appearance of flies to salmon, 94- 

99. 
Attendants (Guides), 8, 66. 

B. 

Balance of salmon-rods, 31. 
Bank-fishinff, 130, 146. 
Black-flies, '81. 
Boats, 75. 
Braided leaders, 60. 

C. 

Canadian salmon-rivers, list of, 
18-20. 

m.ap of .follows p. 24. 
Canoe, fishing from, 136, 154. 
Canoes, 75. 
Caprice in salmon, 90. 
Cast, longest recorded, 140. 
Cast, the switch, 121. 
Casting the fly, 115. 

theory of, ^6. 
Casting, effect of current on, 29, 
133. 

right- and left-handed, 119, 
137. 

where to cast, 128, 148. 
Choice of flies, 99-103. 

of gaff. 70. 

of hooks, 105. 



Choice of leaders, 55. 

of lines, 50. 

of reels, 45. 

of rings and guides, 43. 

of salmon- gut, 55. 

of salmon rod, 31, 44, 144. 
Click of salmon reels, 47, 49. 
Clothing, for fishing, 79. 

water-proof, 80, 81 
Coats, rubher, 80. 
Color of leaders, 63. 
Construction of gaff, 70. 
Cost of salmon-fishing, 7, 15. 

of salmon lines, 51. 

D. 

Depletion of salmon rivers, 9, 18. 
Distance to be cast, 26, 140. 
Drags on salmon reels, 49. 
Dyeing leaders, 63. 

E. 

Elasticity and stiffness of rods, 
34, 36. 

English rods, 41. 

Experiments on appearance of ar- 
tificial flies, 92-99. 

Eyed flsh-hooks. 111. 



Ferruled m. spliced rods, 38. 
Ferrules for rods, 38. 

treatment of, in use, 44. 
Fish, caprice in. 90. 



164 



Index. 



Fish, visual powers of, 92. 
Fish-hooks, 105. 

rules for selecting, 105. 
Fishing, directions for. {See in 
detail under Salmon.) 
from bank, 130, 146. 
from canoe, 136, 154. 
method of, recapitulated in 
narrative form, 154. 
Flies (artificial), 89. 

experiments on appearance 

to fish, 93, 99. 
how attached to leader, 111. 
manipulation when fishing, 
103, 124, 180, 131, 146, 
155. 
one onlj'- used in salmon- 
fishing, 155. 
selection of, at home, 103. 
selection of, on stream, 99. 
when and why taken by 
salmon, 99, 101, 126. 
Flies (black-flies, etc.), 81. 
Fly-casting, 115. 

G. 
Gaff, 65. 

construction of, 70. 

how used, 74. 
Gaffing, from bank, 77, 157, 160. 

from boat, 74. 
Gloves, 85. 
Gnats, 81. 

Guides (attendants), 8, 66. 
Guides, for rods, 43. 
Gut, to select, 55. 

testing, 57. 

H. 
Hats, 79. 

Haunts of salmon, 128. 
Head-nets, 84. 

Hiring of salmon fishing, 13. 
Hooks, 105. 

eyed;,. 111. 



Hooks, O'Shaughnessy, Limer- 
ick, and Sproat com- 
pared, 108. 
the Pennell, 109. 

I. 

Ink dye for leaders, 68. 
Insect-pests, 81. 
Insect repellant, 85. 

J. 

Jigging by salmon, 150. 
Jumping by salmon, 150. 

K. 

Knots on leaders, 62. 
Knotting leader to fly, 112. 

L. 

Leaders, 54. 

color of, 63. 

how fastened to fly. 111. 

how to dye, 63. 

knots of. 62. 

length of, 61. 

manufacture of, 62. 

testing, 57. 

twisted and braided, 60, 
61. 
Leasing salmon-fishing, 18. 
Length of leaders, 61. 

of line, 47. 

of practical cast, 26, 140. 
Line, advantage of heavy, 32. 

cost of, 51. 

how to splice, 52. 

length of, 47. 

new form of, 54. 

spliced, 51. 

weight of, 53. 
Lines, 50. 

List of Canadian salmon-rivers, 
18-20. 

of Maine rivers, 10. 



Index. 



165 



M. 

Maine salmon-rivers, 10. 
Making salmon-rods, 43. 
Map of Canadian salmon-rivers, 

follows]). 24. 
Mosquitoes, 82. 
Mosquito-nets, 87. 

0. 

Ointment (insect-repellant), 85. 
Overhead cast, 115. 



Playing a salmon. (See Salmon- 
fishing.) 
Pools, salmon, 128. 
Preservation of rod, 44. 

R. 

Range of efficient cast, 26. 
Reels, 45. 

capacity of spool, 47. 
click of, 47, 49. 
drags on, 49. 

manipulation when fish- 
ing, 155, 157. 
Rings for rods, 43. 
Rods. {See Salmon-rods.) 

single-handed, for salmon, 
30. 
Rubher coats, 80. 
Rubbers for wading, 81. 
Rules for selection of fish-hooks, 
105. 
for selection of salmon-flies, 
99-103. 
S. 
Salmon, caprice in, 90. 

conduct when fastened, 48, 

150, 152, 156. 
haunts of, 128. 
growth of, 9. 
timidity of, compared to 

trout, 126, 145, 149. 
visual powers of, 92, 125. 



Salmon, when and why they take 

the fly, 99, 126, 101. 
Salmon-fishing, 124. 
cost of, 7, 15. 
from bank, 130, 146, 158. 
from canoe, 136, 154. 
how and where to obtain, 

13. 
method of, recapitulated in 

narrative form, 154. 
Salmon, jigging when fastened, 

150, 152, 160. 
leaping when fastened, 150, 

156, 157. 
playing a, 134, 146, 150, 

152,156. 
striking, 28, 29, 142. 
sulking, 158, 159. 
their method of taking fly, 

145. 
Salmon-flies, 89, 99, 103, 105. 

appeai'ance of, to salmon, 

94-99. 
manipulation when fish- 
ing, 103, 124, 130, 131, 

146, 155. 
selection at home, 103. 
selection on stream, 99. 
Salmon-lines, 32. (See Lines.) 
Salmon pools, 128. 
Salmon-rivers, American, 10. 
Canadian, 18-20. 
depletion of, 9, 18. 
map of Canadian,/(?;Z(??os^. 

24. 
Salmon- rods, 25. 

action of, 31, 144. 
.balance of, 31. 
choice of, 31, 44, 144. 
curve of, 32, 144. 
ferrules, 38. 
joining, 33. 
making, 43. 
preservation of, 44. 
rings and guides for, 43. 



166 



Index. 



Salmon-rods, spliced, 33. 

stiffness and elasticity, 34, 

tlieoretical efficiency of, 26. 
36. 

tip-rings, 43. 
Salting game-fisli, 30. 
Selecting fish-hooks, 105. 

flies at home, 103. 

flies on stream, 99. 

gaff, 70. 

gut, 55. 

leaders, 55. 

lines, 50. 

reels, 45. 

rings and guides, 43. 

rods, 31, 44, 144. 
Single-handed rod for salmon, 30. 
Spliced and ferruled rods com- 
pared, 37. 
Spliced lines, 51. 
Spliced rods. 33. 
Staining gut, 63. 
Striking fish, 28, 29, 142. 



Sulking, 158, 159. 
Switch-cast, 121. 



Testing gut and leaders, 57. 

salmon-rods, 31. 
Theoretical efficiency of fly -rods, 

26 
Tip-rings for salmon-rods, 43. 
Trout-rods for salmon, 30. 
TAvisted leaders, 60, 61. 



Visibility of flies to salmon, 94- 

99. 
Visual power of salmon, 92, 125. 

W. 

Wading, 81. 

Water-proof clothing, 80, 81. 
Wind, effect on salmon fishing, 
53. 



THE END. 



FLY-RODS AND FLY-TACKLE. 

Suggestions as to their Manufacture and Use. By Henry 
P. Wells, Illustrated, pp. 364. Post 8vo, Illumi- 
nated Cloth, |2 50. 

Mr. Wells has devoted more time and attention to the materials used in 
fly-fishing than any person we know of, and his experience is well set forth 
in this most valuable book. * * * The author is an amateur rod-maker who 
has experimented with every wood known to rod manufacturers, as well as 
with some that are not known to them, and therefore he is an undoubted 
authority on the subject. This chapter and the one following, which gives 
directions in rod-making, forms the most perfect treatise on rods extant. 
* * * The boolv is one of great value, and will take its place as a standard 
authority on all points of which it treats, and we cannot commend it too 
highly. — Forest and /Stream, N. Y. 

Since Izaak Walton lingered over themes piscatorial, we have leai'ned to 
expect, in all essays on the gentle art of angling, a certain daintiness and 
elegance of literary form as well as technical utility. Publisher and author 
have co-operated to meet these traditional requirements in "Fly-Rods and 
Fly-Tackle." * * * Mr. Wells's competence to expound the somewhat in- 
tricate principles and delicate processes of fly-fishing will be plain to any 
reader who himself has some practical acquaintance with the art discussed. 
The value of the author's instructions and suggestions is signally enhanced 
by their minuteness and lucidity. — iV. Y. 8im. 

A complete manual for the ambitious lover of fishing for trout. * * * All 
lovers of fly-fishing should have Mr. Wells's book in their outfit for the 
sport that is near at hand. — Philadelphia Bulletin. 

Mr. Wells reveals to us the mysteries of lines, leaders, and reels, rods, 
rod material, and rod-making. He lets us into the secret of making re- 
pairs, and gives all due directions for casting the fly. * * * Moreover, Mr. 
Wells writes in an attractive style. There is a certain charm in the heart- 
iness and grace wherewith he expresses his appreciation of those beauties 
of nature which the angler has so unlimited an opportunity of enjoying. 
Thus what may be called not only a technical, but also a scientific, knowl- 
edge of his subject is combined with a keen delight in hill, stream, and for- 
est for the sake of the varied loveliness they display. — JV. Y. Telegram. 

A book of practical hints about the manufacture and use of anglers' 
gear. Fish-hooks, lines, leaders, rods and rod-making, repairs, flies and 
fly-fishing, are among the important subjects discussed with great fulness. 
The essay on "Casting the Fly" and "Miscellaneous Suggestions" are 
rich in points for beginners. It is to the latter, and not to the experts, 
that Mr. Wells modestly dedicates his work. His object is to supply pre- 
cisely the kind of information of which he stood so much in need during 
his own novitiate. — N. Y. Journal of Commerce. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

i8®= The above work sent hy mail, postage lyrejMid, to any part of the United States 
or Canada, on receipt of the price. 



UPLAND AND MEADOW. 

A Poaetquissings Chronicle. By Charles C. Abbott, 
M.D. pp. X., 398. 12rao, Ornamental Cloth^ 1 1 50. 

Dr. Abbott studies most delightfully the question of whether birds re- 
main with us during the winter; whether hibernation is as fixed a habit 
with any creature as is supposed. Then follow studies of the habits of 
marsh- wrens, grakles, red -birds, toads, humming-birds; and an autumn 
diary remarkably full of interest and with many delightfully poetical hab- 
its of expression, together with accounts of conversations with the country 
people so quaint and curious as to give a great personal interest to these 
studies. Any one with the slightest interest in natural history will be 
charmed with this book ; and those who care very little for natural his- 
tory in itself will find so much other matter that whoever and of whatever 
turn of mind takes up this book will not willingly lay it down. — Christian 
A dvocate, N. Y. 

We commend this book as inspiring, refreshing, and delightful in its 
record and humor both. — Philadelphia Ledger and IVanscrijyt. 

The author has a: faculty for using his eyes and ears to excellent advan- 
tage in his rambles over " Upland and Meadow," and a very entertaining 
way of recording what he sees and hears. ... It is worth reading indeed. 
— The Examiner, N. Y. 

Here is a modern Thoreau with an imagination the like of which Tho- 
I'eau did not possess. Things happen to him in the most accommodating 
way, for they manage to give each story of bird or beast a point. — iV. Y. 
Times. 

Delightful reading for students and lovers of out-door nature. . . . Here 
the author discourses with the greatest charm of style about wood and 
stream, marsh- wrens, the spade-foot toad, summer, winter, trumpet-creepers 
and ruby throats, September sunshine, a colony of grakles, the queer little 
dwellers in the water, and countless other things that the ordinary eye 
passes by without notice. . . . The book may be heartily commended to 
every reader of taste, and to every admirer of graceful and nervous Eng- 
lish. — Saturday Evening Gazette, Boston. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New Yorx. 

j8®=" IIakpek & BnoTiiicRS will send the above work hy mail, pnstacie prepaid, to 
anp part of the United States or Canada, on receipt of the price. 



BOOKS ON GAMES AND SPORTS. 



How to Play Whist. 

With tlie Laws and Etiquette of Wliist, Wiiist-Wliittlings and 
Forty fully annotated Games. By "Five of Clubs" (Uichahd A. 
Pkoctok). a New and Enlarged Edition. IGino, Paper, 25 cents. 

Laws and Eegulations of Short Whist. 

Laws and Ilegulations of Short Whist, Adopted by the Washington 
Cliub of Paris. Compiled from the J3est iVIodern Authorities, and as 
Played in the Principal Clubs of London and Paris. With MaXimsand 
Advice for Beginners. By W. P. P^etuiogi:. 12mo, Cloth, 75 cents. 

Ames's Modern Whist. 

Modern Whist. By Fisher Ames. With tlie Laws of the Game. 
32mo, Paper, 20 cents ; Cloth, 35 cents. 

Bartlett's New G-ames for Parlor and Lawn, 

New Games for Parlor and Lawn, with a few Old Friends in a New 
Dress. By George B. Baktlett. 16mo, Cloth, $1 00. 

Newell's G-ames and Songs of American Children. 

Games and Songs of American Children. Collected and Compared 
by WiLLiAji Wells Neavell. 8vo, Cloth, f I 50. 

Alden's Canoe and Flying Proa, 

The Canoe and the Flying Proa , or. Cheap Cruising and Safe Sail- 
ing. By W. L. Alden. With Illustrations. 32mo, Paper, 25 cents; 
Cloth, 40 cents. 

Murphy's Sporting Adventures in the Far West. 

Sporting Adventiues in the Far West. By J. M. Murphy. Illiss- 
tr'ated. 12mo, Cloth, f 1 50. 

Fish and Men of the Maine Islands. 

By W. li. Bishop. Illustrated. 12mo, Paper, 25 cents. 

Wells's Fly-Eods and Fly-Fishing. 

Fly-Rods and Fly-Fishing. Suggestions as to their Manufacture and 
Use. By Henry P. Wells. Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. 

Hallock's Fishing Tourist. 

The Fishing Tourist: Angler's Guide and Reference Book. By 
Charles Hallock. Illustrated. Crown 8vo, Cloth, $2 00. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

■ Harper & Bkoturrs ivill nend any of the above works by 'mail, jjostar/e pre- 
paid, to any iMrt of the United States or Canada, on receipt of the j)rice. 



HOME STUDIES IN NATURE. 

By Mart Tkeat, Author of " Chapters on Ants," &c. II- 
histrated. pp. 244. 12mo, Ornamental Cloth, $1 50. 

Mrs. Treat roams through the fields in search of rare knowledge about 
birds, wasps, spiders, and those wonderful plants that entrap insects and 
thrive on their juices. Her originality in these researches is undoubted, 
and she adds a great deal to our stock of facts for use in the interpreta- 
tion of nature. She has a pleasant style, and a winning knack of making 
disagreeable things seem otherwise. The pictures are many and good. — 
JV. V. Journal of Commerce. 

A worthy tribute from a lover of nature to the animated world about 
her. It treats of birds, insects, plants that consume animals, and flowering 
plants. It has nearly seventy handsome illustrations, and the stoiy is told 
in fascinating and clearly-expressed language. It is an admirable work 
with which to educate a family. — Boston Co'mmonwealtli. 

To those who have given attention to the beauties of nature as devel- 
oped in the winged world and the insect and floral branches, this little 
volume will be peculiarly grateful. — Albany Press. 

Books on this subject are generally regarded by every one not profes- 
sional scientists as dreadful bores. An exception must be made, however, 
in favor of Mrs. Mary Treat's " Home Studies in Nature." The only 
echoes of science between the two covers are the Latin names of birds, 
insects, and plants ; all else are most curious and readable accounts of 
the doings of some creatures so tiny that they frequently are near us, and 
watching us, when we imagine ourselves alone. * * * This would be a capi- 
tal book to give a bright-eyed boy or girl who complains that about home 
" there is nothing to look at." Adults, however will also enjoy the volume, 
and may make their eyesight keener by reading it. — N. Y. Herald. 

The public should feel glad that occasionally a man or a woman finds 
highest pleasure in studying the ways and habits of nature, and publishing 
the result of such study to the world. This is what Mrs. Treat has done. 
*** Her book is divided into four parts — observations on birds, habits of 
insects, plants that consume animals, and flowering plants. It is, moreover, 
helped by nearly seventy illustrations, which in a work of this character 
are of material assistance ; for the great majority of readers are unfamil- 
iar with the appearance of the birds, flowers, and insects, the habits of 
which are described. The author shows herself to be a keen, conscien- 
tious, and affectionate observer. — N. Y. Telegram. 

Mrs. Treat can always command a delightful audience ; for next to the 
pleasure of searching fields, woods, and streams for the beautiful or cui-i- 
ous, it is charming to hear from so close an observer so much that is in- 
teresting and new, especially when all is told with vivacity and genuine 
enthusiasm. * * * The volume is finely illustrated, and its contents cannot 
tail to entertain the reader, young or old, who has learned, or is learning, 
about the busy world out-of-doors. — Worcester Daily Spy. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

t bi/ mail, postage prepaid, to any part of th 
or Canada, on receipt of the price. 

H 284 84 < 



The above loork sent bi/ mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States 
or Canada, 07i receipt of the price. 




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